SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday described herself as a “dimaagi Naxal” after Union Minister Kiren Rijiju listed supporters of Article 370 among those he said could be termed “dimaagi Naxals”.
Reacting to Rijiju’s post on X, Mehbooba said, “I support Article 370. I’m a dimaagi Naxal.”
Rijiju, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not used the term “dimaagi Naxal” for opposition leaders.
In his post, Rijiju said the term could apply to those who support Maoists and reject the Constitution, back separatists and Article 370, or seek to sever the northeastern region from the rest of the country.
Mehbooba’s remarks came a day after Modi, in his Independence Day address, warned against what he described as “dimaagi Naxals” who had allegedly entrenched themselves within the system and were attempting to influence policies and promote violence and anarchy.
The prime minister said India had succeeded in eliminating armed Naxalism from forests but cautioned that its ideological supporters continued to pose a threat.
He also urged citizens to “identify and isolate” such elements.
The remarks have triggered a political exchange between the BJP and Opposition parties, with leaders sparring over the prime minister’s reference to “dimaagi Naxals” and its interpretation.
