Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the phrase “dimagi Naxal” during his Independence Day address from the Red Fort on 15 August.
While speaking about the decline of armed Naxalism, PM Modi warned that what he described as an ideological threat remained.
He said people with a Naxal mindset were still looking for opportunities to create violence and unrest and called for such people to be “identified and isolated”.
The remark quickly turned into a political controversy, with questions about what exactly “dimagi Naxal” means and whom PM Modi was referring to.
What does ‘dimagi Naxal’ mean?
There is no official legal definition of “dimagi Naxal”.
In the context of PM Modi's speech, the phrase refers to what he described as people with a Naxal or Maoist mindset, rather than armed Naxals operating in the forests.
But it is important not to treat the phrase as a legal label.
Calling someone a “dimagi Naxal” does not, by itself, establish that the person is a Maoist, belongs to a banned organisation or has committed an offence.
Whether someone has links to an unlawful organisation or has committed a crime is a separate matter that requires evidence and must be assessed under the applicable law.
So, who did PM Modi mean?
PM Modi did not name specific people or give a detailed list in his Independence Day speech.
The government later offered more context through Union minister Kiren Rijiju.
What did Kiren Rijiju say?
Rijiju said PM Modi was not referring to Opposition leaders simply because they were part of the Opposition.
In a post on X, he said the phrase referred to people who, according to his interpretation of the Prime Minister's remarks:
support Maoists and reject the Constitution;
support separatists and Article 370; and
want to cut the “Chicken's Neck” corridor to separate the Northeast from the rest of India.
Rijiju's post was subsequently mocked by Congress leader Pawan Khera, who pointed to the numbering of the list.
The important point is that Rijiju's post was a clarification of what he said Modi meant, rather than a formal legal definition of “dimagi Naxal”.
What did P Chidambaram say?
Congress leader and former Union home minister P Chidambaram responded to the controversy on X.
He wrote: I am proud to be a dimagi naxal!
The comment came in response to PM Modi's remarks and was clearly framed as a political retort.
The BJP subsequently criticised Chidambaram over the remark, with its leaders arguing that he was effectively defending people accused of supporting Maoist ideology.
Those are political allegations by the BJP, rather than an established finding about Chidambaram.
What did Saurav Das say?
Saurav Das, chief spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), also hit back at PM Modi's remark.
Das questioned how educated young people could be labelled Naxals simply for questioning the government.
In a post on X, he wrote: Dimagi Naxal’ or whatever is not going to work, Prime Minister.
He also questioned the use of such a label against young people who criticise the government and described the approach as “sheer arrogance”.
BJP leaders hit back
The BJP defended PM Modi's remarks and criticised Chidambaram's response.
BJP leaders argued that there was a difference between ordinary political criticism and people who provide ideological support to Maoist groups.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also attacked Chidambaram, arguing that people who support what the BJP describes as an anti-national ideology can be described as “dimagi Naxals”.
Again, these are political claims, not a legal definition of the term.
A ‘Dimagi Naxal Party’ has now appeared on Instagram
The phrase has already taken on a life of its own online.
An Instagram account called “Dimagi Naxal Party” emerged after PM Modi's Independence Day remark and quickly attracted a large following.
Hindustan Times reported on 17 August that the account had crossed 1.81 lakh followers overnight. The account's stated motto is “Think | Research | Resist.” It also has an X account called “Dimagi Naxal Janta Party”.
Rediff described the Instagram page as a satirical account and reported that it had gained more than 1.6 lakh followers in a day.
The account's rapid growth shows how quickly a political phrase can become an internet identity, particularly when it is adopted and repurposed by people who see the original remark as a criticism of dissent.
The emergence of the page, however, does not change the legal or political status of the phrase itself.
Is ‘dimagi Naxal’ the same as ‘Naxalite’?
No.
Naxalism refers to the Maoist insurgency and armed groups associated with it.
“Dimagi Naxal”, as used in the current political debate, refers to people whom PM Modi and the government describe as having or promoting a Naxal or Maoist mindset.
The two terms should therefore not be treated as interchangeable.
Most importantly, being called a “dimagi Naxal” is not proof that someone belongs to a banned Maoist organisation or has committed an offence.
Why has the phrase become controversial?
The debate is ultimately about where the line lies between ideological support for Maoism and political dissent.
The government has argued that even as armed Naxalism declines, its ideology can continue to influence people and institutions.
Critics, meanwhile, have questioned whether a term associated with Naxalism could be used too broadly against activists, students, young people or political opponents who question the government.
That is why the distinction between a political label and a legal allegation matters.
So, what does ‘dimagi Naxal’ mean?
“Dimagi Naxal” shot into the spotlight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the phrase in his Independence Day speech.
The government later offered more context through Kiren Rijiju, while Opposition leaders and critics including P Chidambaram and Saurav Das challenged the use of the phrase.
The controversy has now spilled onto social media too, with the emergence of a “Dimagi Naxal Party” Instagram account that quickly gained hundreds of thousands of followers.
