New Delhi: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has escalated the political row over the term ‘Dimagi Naxal’, accusing the Congress of gradually turning into a “Maoist and Naxalite entity”.

Rijiju said the Congress had earlier become “akin to the Muslim League” and was now moving towards becoming a Maoist party. He made the remarks while defending his use of the term ‘Dimagi Naxals’ and explaining whom he intended to refer to.

What Kiren Rijiju said about Congress

Rijiju said, “In a way, the Congress party has transformed itself into a Maoist and Naxalite entity. While the National Advisory Council under Sonia Gandhi was previously dominated by individuals holding such ideologies, the entire Congress party now appears to be turning into a Maoist party. Having already become akin to the Muslim League, they are now moving towards becoming a Maoist party as well.

“The Prime Minister's point — echoing what Manmohan Singh had also stated — is that Maoism and Naxalism pose the greatest threat to the country's internal security and must be eradicated. Under PM Modi's leadership, the armed Naxalites fighting against the nation have been largely eliminated. However, the underlying ideology persists in urban areas, and that too must be dealt with.

“Congress thought this was about them. I clearly explained what Naxalism means and who the ‘Dimagi Naxals’ are — those who advocate for the country's fragmentation, support Article 370, or call for the separation of the Northeast.

“They show no empathy for the families of those who fall victim to Naxalism; whether it involves personnel from the Army, CRPF, SSB, BSF, ITBP, CISF, or NSG, these Maoists and intellectual Naxals celebrate when such individuals are killed.

“That is precisely what I mean by ‘Dimagi Naxals’ — and one wonders if Congress itself subscribes to this view.”

What are ‘Dimagi Naxals’?

Rijiju said the term referred to people who, according to him, advocate the fragmentation of India, support Article 370 or call for the separation of the Northeast.

He also accused such people of celebrating the deaths of security personnel killed in encounters with Maoists and Naxalites, and alleged that they had no empathy for the families of personnel from the Army, CRPF, SSB, BSF, ITBP, CISF and NSG.

Political row over ‘Dimagi Naxal’ remark

Rijiju’s comments come amid a political controversy over the phrase ‘Dimagi Naxal’. The Congress has objected to the terminology and questioned its use in political discourse.

Rijiju, however, reiterated his position and sought to link the term to what he described as the continuation of Naxalite ideology in urban areas.

He also invoked former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s earlier remarks on Maoism, arguing that the threat posed by Naxalism was not limited to armed insurgents but also involved confronting the ideology behind it.