New Delhi, August 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P. Chidambaram on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reference to “Dimagi Naxals”, calling the term another addition to what he described as the BJP’s long-standing political rhetoric against its critics.
In a post on X, the former Union Finance Minister described “Dimagi Naxals” as a “new variant” of labels previously used in political discourse, including “urban naxals”, “andolanjeevis” and “tukde tukde gang”.
“Who were the urban naxals? Who were the andolanjeevis? Who were the tukde tukde gang?” Chidambaram asked, suggesting that such expressions had been used primarily as political labels rather than precise descriptions of organised threats.
His remarks came in response to PM Modi’s call to isolate people he referred to as “Dimagi Naxals”. Chidambaram argued that the terminology reflected a continuing political strategy of branding Opposition leaders and civil society critics instead of engaging with their arguments on policies and ideology.
The Congress leader said the latest expression followed the pattern of earlier labels and questioned the basis for categorising people under such terms.
The remarks have added to the ongoing political confrontation between the BJP and Congress over the Prime Minister’s comments and the broader debate surrounding dissent, extremism and political discourse.
While the government has maintained that ideological support for extremism needs to be confronted, Opposition leaders have criticised such terminology as an attempt to discredit dissenting voices.
Chidambaram’s comments are likely to intensify the political debate over the meaning and intent behind the phrase “Dimagi Naxals”.
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