'Didn't call opposition leaders dimagi naxals': Rijiju on PM Modi's I-Day remarks

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju clarified on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to "dimagi naxals" in his Independence Day speech was not directed at opposition leaders. In a social media post, Rijiju distinguished the term "dimagi naxals" into three categories: those who support Maoists and reject the Indian Constitution, those who stand with separatists and back Article 370, and those who wish to separate the North-East from India.

The Prime Minister's remarks aimed to identify and isolate these individuals who still harbor Maoist thinking and could be a threat to the nation, despite the elimination of armed Naxals. Opposition parties, including the Congress, criticized the remarks as hollow political rhetoric, comparing it to previous usage of "urban naxal."

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram defended the term, proudly stating he was a "dimagi naxal."