Now Reading: Rijiju targets Naseeruddin Shah over ‘dimagi naxal’ remark
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Rijiju targets Naseeruddin Shah over ‘dimagi naxal’ remark
The Story in Brief
Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, 29 October 2026, criticised actor Naseeruddin Shah for calling himself a 'dimagi naxal' (mental Naxal). Rijiju said he had respected Shah as an ordinary actor but now realised he was a dangerous 'urban dimagi naxal' harmful to democracy. Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane said Shah should go to Pakistan and called him a 'mental Naxal' who gets paid to read Pakistani scripts. Filmmaker Ashok Pandit suggested Shah consult a psychiatrist. CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah accused Rijiju of lacking understanding of the constitution.
Shah had posted a Facebook video on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, saying he was proud to be a 'dimagi naxal' and accusing the government of oppressing students at JNU, SRFTI and Jamia. He called the government illegitimate and used abusive language against the BJP and its IT cell. Shah has been a vocal critic of the BJP and central government. Congress MP JB Mather said the BJP labels anyone it disagrees with as 'urban naxal' or 'tukde-tukde gang'. Union minister Ramdas Athawale said Shah can suggest things to the government but has no right to criticise the BJP.
Indian Opinion Analysis
TV9 Hindi leads with Rijiju's 'dangerous dimagi naxal' attack and Rane's provocative 'Pakistan' comment, giving the story a drama-first tone. Dainik Bhaskar adds filmmaker Ashok Pandit's suggestion that Shah see a psychiatrist but also reproduces Shah's entire video transcript, offering readers the actor's own words. Both outlets report the same core exchange, but TV9 frames it as a political confrontation while Bhaskar provides a fuller record of what Shah said. Neither outlet omits the opposition's response: both carry Mollah's criticism of Rijiju, and TV9 includes Congress MP Mather's remark. The balanced reading is that the government figures attacked Shah's statement as anti-national, while Shah and his defenders presented it as legitimate dissent. No date for a next step is named.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 neutral, 1 sensationalist
Sources (2): tv9hindi.com (sensationalist), bhaskar.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
