# Modi’s ‘Dimagi Naxals’ remark draws Congress retort, Rijiju clarifies 2026-08-24T03:04:31+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the term 'Dimagi Naxals' in his Independence Day speech on August 15, warning youth against what he described as intellectuals with a violent mindset akin to Maoist ideology. Congress leader P. Chidambaram responded, 'I am proud to be a Dimagi Naxal,' while Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju clarified the remark targets those who support Maoists, reject the Constitution, back Article 370, or advocate splitting the Northeast. The phrase combines 'dimagi' (meaning independent thinker in Hindi) with 'Naxal', a term rooted in the 1967 Naxalbari uprising. Modi had previously rejected the term Naxal in 2014, preferring 'Maoism'. The prime minister said the government has largely freed the country from armed Naxals but now faces a new challenge from ideological sympathisers. UAPA cases have risen significantly since 2014, with critics arguing the remark signals a crackdown on dissent. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The phrase 'Dimagi Naxals' entered the lexicon from a Prime Minister's speech, but its legal weight depends on how the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is applied. UAPA cases have risen from 234 in 2014 to over 1,200 by 2023, with conviction rates below 3%. The Supreme Court has repeatedly flagged misuse of UAPA against activists and journalists, most recently in the 2023 *Union of India v. K.A. Najeeb* verdict. Whether this remark translates into more arrests or remains rhetorical will be tested by the next NIA chargesheet naming an academic or student as a 'Dimagi Naxal'. The signal to watch is the number of UAPA cases filed in the next six months. ## Coverage - deccanherald.com Leads with PM's speech and Congress response, then shifts to a single academic's op-ed framing the remark as anti-dissent, mixes news and analysis without clear separation This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Indian Constitution, Kiren Rijiju, Maoism, Narendra Modi, P Chidambaram, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/modis-dimagi-naxals-remark-draws-congress-retort-rijiju-clarifies/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/modis-dimagi-naxals-remark-draws-congress-retort-rijiju-clarifies/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report 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. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/