P Chidambaram's proud to be 'dimagi Naxal' remark causes slugfest
What's the story
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "dimagi Naxals" remark. The PM had made the statement during his 80th Independence Day speech from the Red Fort, warning of ideological supporters of Naxalism who pose a threat by manipulating policies. In response, Chidambaram said on social media platform X, "I am proud to be a dimagi naxal!"
Political exchange
What did PM Modi say in his I-Day speech
In his speech, PM Modi had warned against ideological supporters of Naxalism, asking citizens to "identify and isolate" them.
He said these people had infiltrated corridors of power and influenced public policy.
Chidambaram's response came after this warning, where he proudly accepted the label of "dimagi Naxal."
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju responded to Chidambaram's statement, saying that PM Modi was not talking about the opposition.
Counter-argument
Union minister Rijiju responds; Congress MP Khera gives humorous reply
Rijiju listed what he called "dimagi Naxals": "1. Who support Maoists and reject Indian Constitution. 2. Who stand with separatists & support Article 370. 4. Who want to cut chicken neck to separate North-East from India."
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera humorously replied to Rijiju on X: "Brother Kiren Rijiju, get your counting right first, then we'll answer. After 1 and 2 comes 3, not 4."
Twitter Post
Pawan Khera's reply to Kiren Rijiju
.@KirenRijiju भाई, पहले गिनती ठीक करो फिर जवाब देंगे।
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 ಪವನ್ ಖೇರಾ (@Pawankhera) August 16, 2026
1, 2 के बाद 3 आता है, 4 नहीं pic.twitter.com/ouGrPGt2mn
Support voiced
TDP MP and BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad slam Chidambaram
BJP ally TDP MP and former IPS officer Tenneti Krishna Prasad supported PM Modi's "dimagi Naxals" remarks. He said a new form of "intellectual Naxalism" has emerged, warning against it as a threat to the country and its youth.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also slammed Chidambaram, accusing him of being part of an ecosystem that nurtures Maoism.
Ongoing criticism
BJP continues attack on Congress over 'Vande Mataram' issue
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also continued its attack on the Congress for allegedly insulting the national song Vande Mataram.
BJP President Nitin Nabin accused Congress of bowing to fundamentalist forces.
He pointed out incidents like Sonia Gandhi's alleged attempt to stop reciting the full version of Vande Mataram at Congress headquarters and its government in Kerala removing the song from the Independence Day event.
Instagram page
'Dimagi Naxal Party' Instagram page gets 1.7L followers
Meanwhile, NDTV reported that an Instagram handle called Dimagi Naxal Party has surfaced overnight and gained over 1.78 lakh followers in just a day.
The handle follows 35 people and reportedly has 62 posts.
Information on Instagram indicates the account was created this month. The logs show that the username was changed once.