Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call Saturday to identify and isolate “dimagi Naxals” (those with a Maoist mindset) who were “looking for ways of violence and anarchy”, drew sharp criticism from the Opposition parties, which accused him of using labels to target dissent and suppress his political rivals that, they said, will pave the way for “a one-party rule and eventually dictatorship”.
In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, his 13th consecutive address, Modi said while armed Naxalism was nearing its end in the jungles, their ideological sympathisers were seeking opportunities to create unrest in the country. He said while Maoists, who had killed more than 3,500 security personnel and left the land soaked in blood, are breathing its last after years of security operations against them, “we must not underestimate this challenge”.
“We need to be even more cautious about this challenge. For years, individuals with a Maoist ideology had made their place in the corridors of power in the country. Even as advisors on government committees, this Maoist ideology influenced policy,” the PM said.
“We have succeeded in eliminating armed Naxals from the forests and liberating the country from that menace. However, while the armed Naxals are gone, the dimagi Naxals remain, and these dimagi Naxals are on the lookout for an opportunity. They are looking for ways of violence and anarchy. They are resorting to various tactics to drag society onto the wrong path. We must identify these mental Naxals, isolate them,” he said.
Modi’s “dimagi Naxal” jibe was aimed at activists, academics, intellectuals and political critics, the Opposition said, adding that he had used similar labels, such as “Andolanjeevi”, “urban Naxals”, and “tukde tukde gang”, in the past in attempts to stigmatise dissent and democratic debate.
During the farmer’s agitation against the now-repealed central farm laws in 2021, Modi had argued that the country should be cautious of a new community of people, whom he called “Andolanjeevi” and “FDI (Foreign Destructive Ideology)”.
“PM has coined a new invective – mental Naxal. This is the new variation of their despicable description of dissident intellectuals, writers, teachers, scholars, etc. as ‘urban Naxals’. Recall the words they used to tarnish them – anti-nationals, Pakistan sympathisers, tukde tukde gang, enemies of the nation, spies etc,” senior Congress leader and ex-Union home minister P Chidambaram told The Indian Express.
“If, as the PM says, the ‘mental Naxals’ are eliminated, it will mean that the Opposition will be eliminated. It will pave the way for a one-party rule and eventually dictatorship,” he said. Some of the so-called “mental Naxals” have been languishing in jail without trial for six years, he added.
Chidambaram’s party colleague and MP Shashi Tharoor said, “While state vigilance against violence and armed insurgency is essential for national security, using broad labels like ‘dimagi Naxals’ creates a dangerous precedent for a democratic society.”
“Blurring the line between actual subversion and legitimate ideological disagreement risks silencing critics, scholars, and civil rights advocates whose work holds power accountable. A constitutional democracy must firm up its security against violence without compromising free speech or criminalising intellectual dissent. True national strength lies in protecting fundamental civil liberties while isolating those who actively incite violence or lawlessness,” Tharoor told The Indian Express.
Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot said the PM’s remarks showed that he and the BJP were “rattled” by the unrest among disenchanted youth and students. “Earlier he (Modi) used the term urban Naxals when Rahul Gandhi and the Congress demanded a caste census. They called the farmers Khalistani and anti-nationals. Anyone who opposes the government or its politics are dubbed anti-nationals. The people of India are now asking right and tough questions on governance and deliverables. The Prime Minister is rattled,” Pilot said.
Attacking Modi, Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh stated: “First he called his opponents ‘urban Naxals’. Now he calls them ‘dimagi Naxals’. It is a sure sign of his desperation. It is a separate matter that he ends up doing whatever these so-called ‘urban Naxals’ or now ‘dimagi Naxals’ are demanding or advocating. It is not for nothing that the PM has an MA being the ‘Master Abuser’ in Entire Political Science that he is.”
Other Opposition leaders, too, slammed the PM. While CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby called Modi’s “dimagi Naxal” term a bid to target the Opposition, his CPI counterpart D Raja felt it was an attempt to suppress dissent.
“Prime Minister Modi finds time and opportunity to target dissenters even on a solemn national occasion like Independence Day, conveniently forgetting what the people of India are asking of him and his government,” Raja said. “To the baseless categories repeatedly conjured up by the Right Wing: ‘anti-national’, ‘tukde tukde gang’ and others, Modi has now added another absurd label: ‘dimagi Naxal’. This is nothing but an attempt to stigmatise dissent and intimidate those who question the government,” he said.
Raja urged the PM to address the concerns raised by students and youth regarding education and jobs. “India’s youth and students are on the streets demanding educational and employment reforms. Did you answer their questions? Why have nearly a lakh government schools been closed? Why has public education been allowed to deteriorate so badly? Why are millions of young people struggling for secure employment?” he asked.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and ex-MP Saket Gokhale accused the PM of using the Independence Day platform to target his critics. “Shame that Modi used the occasion of Independence Day to take cheap shots calling his opponents ‘dimagi (mental) Naxals’. Instead of apologising to the youth for using violence and pellet guns on them, Modi is peddling his usual nonsense. Dump the ego, Mr PM. It’s not helping,” he said.
The day also saw a row over the Leaders of the Opposition (LoPs) in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, not attending the official Independence Day event at the Red Fort. The two top Congress leaders had skipped the event last year as well.
In 2024, Rahul had attended this function at the Red Fort but there was a controversy over his seating. The Congress had then said that he was made to “sit in the fifth row” which, the party alleged, reflected Modi’s “pettiness” and lack of respect for democratic traditions.
PM Narendra Modi's speech this year marked another stage in an evolution visible across his 12 previous addresses. 
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