'Lot of people are proud to be…': Congress MP P Chidambaram breaks silence on ‘Dimagi Naxal’ row

The “Dimagi Naxal” row began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the term during his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2026. Modi said that while armed Naxalism had been largely eliminated, people with an ideological Naxal mindset—whom he called “dimagi Naxals”—continued to influence the system and society. He urged people to “identify and isolate” them.P. Chidambaram responded the next day, saying he was “proud to be a dimagi Naxal.” His statement was essentially a political counterattack: he appeared to reject the label and turn it back on the BJP, suggesting that people who question government policies or think differently could be branded with the term.