Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing his opponents as “dimagi Naxals”, or persons with “Naxal mentality”, was a “sure sign of his desperation”, said the Congress on Saturday.

“It is a separate matter that he ends up doing whatever these so-called ‘urban Naxals’ or now ‘dimaagi Naxals’ are demanding or advocating,” said party leader Jairam Ramesh.

The term “urban Naxals” was first used by Union ministers and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party after several activists and academics were arrested in the Elgar Parishad case in 2018. Since then, the term has often been used to describe some dissidents of the Narendra Modi government.

Earlier in the day, addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Modi had said that “dimagi Naxals” are a threat to Indian society and called for them to be “found and isolated”.

He also claimed that persons with Maoist ideology had for years “established themselves in the corridors of power and influenced policy making, including as advisers on government committees”.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot said that the prime minister’s remarks showed that he was “rattled”, reported The Indian Express.

He said that anybody who opposed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government or its politics was earlier dubbed “anti-national”. “The people of India are now asking right and tough questions on governance and deliverables,” said Pilot. “The prime minister is rattled.”

Communist Party of India General Secretary D Raja said that Modi’s comments were “nothing but an attempt to stigmatise dissent and intimidate those who question the government”.

“Modi ji, India’s youth and students are on the streets demanding educational and employment reforms,” Raja wrote on social media. “Did you answer their questions? Why have nearly a lakh government schools been closed? Why has public education been allowed to deteriorate so badly? Why are millions of young people struggling for secure employment?”

He added that on the occasion of Independence Day, the prime minister should answer the citizens’ questions, “not manufacture new labels to silence them”.

Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale said it was “shameful” that Modi “used the occasion of Independence Day to take cheap shots calling his opponents ‘dimagi Naxals’”.

“Instead of apologising to the youth for using violence and pellet guns on them, Modi is peddling his usual nonsense,” he added.

Gokhale was referring to the police allegedly using excessive force on youth protesters in Delhi during a demonstration against alleged mismanagement of several competitive examinations. The agitation, which culminated in the resignation of BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union education minister, was led by the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign.

A crackdown by security personnel on July 20 had left dozens injured, with protesters reporting injuries from lathis and pellet guns.

The Opposition parties had been demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the prime minister make statements about the police action during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which concluded on Thursday.

Edited by Sneha.

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