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Rijiju cites 2006 Singh line on Maoists in Dimagi row
The Hindu··17 Aug
Union minister Kiren Rijiju on 17 August said Congress must apologise to the family of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He quoted Singh's 13 April 2006 remark that Naxalism was the single biggest internal security challenge India had faced. The post followed P. Chidambaram's reply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day use of the phrase Dimagi Naxal.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you heard the Independence Day phrase Dimagi Naxal, Rijiju said on 16 August it did not refer to opposition leaders as a class.
- Readers placing the quote can open Manmohan Singh's 13 April 2006 address to chief ministers on Naxalism.
- Anyone following Chidambaram's reply can match it with his line that the phrase is a new variant of older political labels.
What's Happening
- On 17 August 2026 Kiren Rijiju asked Congress to apologise to Manmohan Singh's family over the Dimagi Naxal exchange.
- He cited Singh's 2006 statement that Naxalism was the single biggest internal security challenge.
- The row began after the Prime Minister's 15 August speech and Chidambaram's public reply.
How Each Side Defined The Phrase
- Modi distinguished hathariya Naxals, or those who took up arms, from Dimagi Naxals he said remained in public life and institutions.
- AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal posted that he was a Dimagi Naxal because he was a patriot.
- A satirical Dimagi Naxal Party page had meanwhile drawn a large Instagram following after the speech.
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