# Modi’s ‘dimagi naxal’ remark sparks opposition backlash, Fadnavis backs 2026-08-16T03:41:14+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets (3 source reports) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said he was proud to be a 'dimagi naxal', hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day remark. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh had earlier called the term a sign of desperation, alleging that the government later accepts demands made by those it labels. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis backed Modi, calling 'dimagi naxalwad' dangerous. He targeted Sonia Gandhi for allegedly objecting to Vande Mataram, which the Congress denied. Fadnavis spoke amid controversy over the Maharashtra Special Public Security Act, which critics say curbs dissent. Modi said armed Naxalism was near its end but warned that people with Maoist thinking still threaten the nation. Opposition parties including CPI(M) and CPI said the label was an attempt to stigmatise dissent. The government has prioritised ending left-wing extremism since 2014. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - hindustantimes.com - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2) This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T05:16:13+00:00. Tags: Congress, Devendra Fadnavis, Jairam Ramesh, Narendra Modi, Sonia Gandhi Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/congress-hits-modi-over-dimagi-naxal-fadnavis-backs-remark/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/congress-hits-modi-over-dimagi-naxal-fadnavis-backs-remark/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/