# Rijiju, Rane criticise Naseeruddin Shah over ‘dimagi Naxal’ remark 2026-10-29T22:31:33+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Union minister Kiren Rijiju and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane have criticised actor Naseeruddin Shah after he posted a Facebook video on 27 October calling himself a ‘dimagi Naxal’ and accusing the government of oppressing students. Rijiju said on 29 October he had not known Shah was a ‘dangerous urban dimagi Naxal’ and that his real character was harmful to democracy. Rane alleged Shah is paid to read Pakistani scripts and has little film work left. Shah’s video, released on 27 October, said: ‘I say with pride, I am a dimagi Naxal… anti-national, tukde-tukde gang… whatever names the chowkidar has given people like me.’ He accused the government of ‘illegal rule’ and named JNU, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and Jamia Millia Islamia as institutions where students face oppression. Filmmaker Ashok Pandit said Shah’s behaviour damages his own image and suggested he consult a psychiatrist. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both outlets report the same exchange: actor Naseeruddin Shah called himself a ‘dimagi Naxal’ in a Facebook video on 27 October, and ministers Kiren Rijiju and Nitesh Rane criticised him. tv9hindi.com leads with Rijiju calling Shah a ‘dangerous urban dimagi Naxal’ and Rane alleging he is paid to read Pakistani scripts, framing the response as official censure. Bhaskar.com leads with Rijiju’s milder remark that he did not know Shah’s thinking, and adds filmmaker Ashok Pandit calling the actor frustrated and suggesting psychiatric help. The TV9 version emphasises the political attack, while Bhaskar’s wider set of critics ranges from ministerial to industry voices without escalating the charge. The uniform fact is that no source reports any legal or institutional action against Shah, the story remains a war of words as of 30 October. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral - tv9hindi.com (government critical) Leads with Rijiju’s strongest charge, omits Ashok Pandit’s milder criticism - bhaskar.com (neutral report) Leads with Rijiju’s milder remark, includes industry critic, quotes Shah’s full video This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Update, 30 October 2026: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-10-30T10:28:01+00:00. Tags: BJP, CPI(M), Hannan Mollah, Kiren Rijiju, Naseeruddin Shah, Nitesh Rane Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/rijiju-targets-naseeruddin-shah-over-dimagi-naxal-remark/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/rijiju-targets-naseeruddin-shah-over-dimagi-naxal-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/