New Delhi: BJP leader and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spell out clearly what the term ‘dimagi Naxal’ means and what separates the category from legitimate dissent.
Singh’s comments questioning the PM’s remarks made in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort come ahead of assembly elections in Punjab, where the BJP is seeking to expand.
The former chief minister, in an opinion piece in Hindustan Times, said, “Let’s not be too casual about the Naxal label”, noting that “India should not have to choose between national security and democratic freedom. Properly understood, the two reinforce each other”.
Writing an op-ed published on September 3, 2026, Amarinder Singh broke ranks with his party’s dominant narrative surrounding the phrase, which was first coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his August 15, 2026, Independence Day speech. While acknowledging legitimate national security concerns, Singh cautioned that a democracy treating peaceful disagreement as a national security threat undermines the very freedoms it seeks to protect.
Singh argued against being “too casual about the Naxal label,” stressing that stretching political rhetoric to weaponize such terms creates a dangerous environment for free speech.
He noted that while the state has a clear duty to ensure armed insurgency does not quietly re-emerge, a clear line must be maintained between national security actions and democratic freedom.
In his view, national security and democratic freedoms are not opposing forces but must instead reinforce each other to sustain a robust constitutional democracy.
From the Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi asserted that though armed Naxalism has been decisively weakened, “dimagi Naxals” with a Maoist mindset remain embedded in power corridors and must be “identified and isolated” to prevent them from misleading the youth.
Official BJP spokespersons like Sudhanshu Trivedi and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju backed the PM, clarifying that the term does not target mainstream opposition leaders. Instead, they defined “dimagi Naxals” as individuals who support Maoists, reject the Constitution, back separatists, oppose infrastructure projects on false grounds, or align with anti-national rhetoric.
Senior Congress leaders, most notably former Home Minister P. Chidambaram, responded with heavy sarcasm, stating they were “proud to be a dimagi Naxal” if it meant using logic and reasoning. The row also sparked massive viral trends on social media, including a highly followed, satirical “Dimagi Naxal Party” account on Instagram.
