Modi's 'Mind Naxal' Remark Sets Off A Race As Congress, Kejriwal Call Themselves Naxals, Himanta Targets Chidambaram

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Red Fort remark on 'mind Naxals,' Mehbooba Mufti, P. Chidambaram and Arvind Kejriwal all declared themselves mind Naxals, prompting Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to launch a sharp counterattack on Chidambaram.

A single phrase from a Red Fort speech has sent opposition politics into a spin. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address included a warning about 'mind Naxals,' and within two days, senior leaders from Congress to the Aam Aadmi Party were racing to claim the label for themselves.

Modi did not name anyone in his speech. He simply said that while the country had largely wiped out armed Naxals, it now needed to watch for those who use their minds to look for opportunities to spread anarchy. Yet the opposition camp immediately assumed the remark was aimed squarely at them, triggering an unusual scramble in which leader after leader proudly announced themselves to be 'mind Naxals.'

From Mehbooba to Chidambaram, everyone jumps in
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti wrote on social media that she supports Article 370 and considers herself a mind Naxal. Soon after, senior Congress leader and former Union minister P. Chidambaram joined the list, saying he feels proud to be called a mind Naxal.

Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal was not far behind. He too declared himself a mind Naxal and said he took pride in it. What made this notable is that Kejriwal used to bristle at being called an 'urban Naxal,' often shooting back with questions about whether he looked like a Naxal. This time, the same leader embraced the tag himself.

Kejriwal's charge, built around a clip of Modi's speech
Kejriwal shared a video that spliced in a portion of the Prime Minister's speech, alleging that anyone who questions the government or seeks change to the existing system is what Modi considers a mind Naxal. He listed people who want good government schools, hospitals, electricity, water and a corruption-free India as falling into the same bracket. Kejriwal went as far as to say, "If Bhagat Singh and Baba Saheb Ambedkar were alive today, the Prime Minister would have called them mind Naxals too."

Himanta Biswa Sarma turns the attack on Chidambaram
Chidambaram's declaration of pride drew a sharp response from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who said Chidambaram should not be described as a mind Naxal but as a full-fledged Naxal himself. Sarma also demanded a probe into whether Chidambaram had deliberately gone soft on anti-Naxal action while he served as Union Home Minister.

The BJP is tying the entire controversy back to Chidambaram's tenure as Home Minister. The party alleges that a large part of the country was Naxal-affected during that period, and that Chidambaram himself used to tell Naxals the government would talk to them but would not ask them to lay down their weapons, since they would not do so anyway. Notably, Congress's own Chhattisgarh leadership was once wiped out in a Naxal attack that killed several senior leaders, yet the party's current leaders are now proudly wearing the Naxal label in their opposition to Modi.

Even the Cockroach Party joins the trend
The rush to claim the tag was not limited to major political parties. Saurav Das of the Cockroach Janta Party also called himself a mind Naxal, joining the debate and making clear that leaders across the opposition spectrum, big and small, were competing to adopt the label.

BJP unveils a new team on the same day
Amid the row, the BJP announced a new organisational team, which includes names that have stirred unease in the opposition camp. Every year on August 15, opposition leaders try to frame the day as Modi's last Independence Day speech as Prime Minister, but the formation of this new organisational team signals the party is already preparing its strategy for the years ahead. There is also talk that changes could be on the way in Prime Minister Modi's council of ministers in the near future.

Questions & Answers

1. Where did PM Modi make the 'mind Naxal' remark?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the remark during his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort.

2. Which leaders called themselves mind Naxals?
Mehbooba Mufti, P. Chidambaram, Arvind Kejriwal and Saurav Das of the Cockroach Janta Party all called themselves mind Naxals.

3. What allegation did Arvind Kejriwal make against PM Modi?
Kejriwal alleged that the Modi government considers anyone who questions it or seeks change to the system a mind Naxal.

4. What did Himanta Biswa Sarma say about Chidambaram?
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said Chidambaram is not a mind Naxal but a full-fledged Naxal, and called for a probe into his conduct as Home Minister.

5. What did Mehbooba Mufti post on social media?
Mehbooba Mufti wrote that she supports Article 370 and considers herself a mind Naxal.

6. What does the BJP allege against Chidambaram?
The BJP alleges that a large part of the country was Naxal-affected during Chidambaram's tenure as Home Minister and that he only offered talks instead of pushing Naxals to disarm.

7. What else did the BJP announce around the same time?
The BJP announced a new organisational team, and some of the names included have unsettled the opposition camp.

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