Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned against "dimagi Naxals" during his Independence Day speech on Aug. 15, 2023 [2].
The remark has intensified the ideological divide between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition parties. By labeling certain individuals as intellectual sympathizers of a banned insurgency, the Prime Minister has framed political dissent through the lens of national security.
Modi defined the term as people sympathetic to Naxal ideology who seek to brainwash youth [1]. He said that people sympathetic to the ideology are still looking for opportunities to brainwash the youth [3].
Opposition leaders responded by either rejecting the characterization or embracing the label to highlight their opposition to government policies. Mehbooba Mufti, a leader from Jammu and Kashmir, adopted the tag in response to clarifications provided by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju [3].
"I support article 370, I'm a Dimaagi Naxal," Mufti said [3].
Other opposition figures, including Arvind Kejriwal and P. Chidambaram, were involved in the ensuing political debate [1]. Some opposition leaders said they were proud to be labeled as such following the Prime Minister's call to isolate these individuals [2].
The clash centers on the definition of dissent versus ideology. While the government views these "intellectual Naxals" as a threat to the youth, the opposition views the term as an attempt to delegitimize political criticism.
“"I support article 370, I'm a Dimaagi Naxal,"”
The 'dimagi Naxal' rhetoric signals a strategic shift by the Modi administration to categorize intellectual or political support for left-wing extremism as a security threat. By linking specific political stances—such as support for the revoked Article 370—to Naxalism, the government seeks to marginalize opposition voices as anti-national. Conversely, the opposition's decision to embrace the term suggests a tactic to reclaim the narrative and frame the government as intolerant of democratic dissent.
