Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that a person who would question the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the central government, demanding better facilities across India, is a 'dimaagi Naxal', as he took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his August 15 remarks.
In a short video on micro-blogging platform X (previously Twitter), the former Delhi chief minister said the Prime Minister would have even called Bhagat Singh and Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar a 'dimaagi Naxal' had they been alive today. He described himself a 'dimaagi Naxal' as well, and said he is proud of it because he is a true patriot.
"According to the Prime Minister, a 'dimaagi Naxal' is a person who raises questions and wants to bring a change in the education system. Those who want good facilities such as hospitals and roads are 'dimaagi Naxals' according to him. Those who are not afraid of him and the BJP, and want a 'Viksit Bharat' is a 'dimaagi Naxal'," Kejriwal said.
PM Modi's 'dimaagi Naxal' remark
Speaking on the 80th Independence Day on Saturday from the ramparts of Red Fort, PM Modi called for the identification and isolation of 'dimaagi Naxals', a term about which he did not elaborate much. His remarks ignited a row, with the Congress taking digs at him and the BJP, saying anyone who opposed the Centre is a 'dimaagi Naxal' as per the Prime Minister.
As the BJP and the Congress continued trading barbs, former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said he is a 'proud dimaagi Naxal'. His remarks were criticised by BJP's national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, who invoked former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 2006 description of Naxalism as the biggest internal security challenge for India.
"PM Modi raised a very important topic of 'Dimagi Naxal' on Independence Day. We are surprised that within 24 hours of this, Congress leader P Chidambaram has said that he is proud of being a 'Dimagi Naxal'... I want to ask the Congress - who was right, Dr Manmohan Singh or P Chidambaram?" the BJP Rajya Sabha member said at a press briefing earlier in the day.
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