New Delhi, Nov 10 — Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday took aim at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for eliminating Naxalism and warning that the days of 'Dimagi Naxals' are also numbered, IANS reported.

Source: IANS

Criticising Gandhi for, in his words, trivialising the Union government's success in ending Left-wing extremism, Rijiju wrote on X: "Rahul ji, thank Modi ji for eliminating the Armed Maoists. Former PM Manmohan Singh ji had famously described Left-Wing Extremism and Naxalism as 'The single biggest internal security threat' to India. Next target is to finish Dimagi Naxals." The post was also reported by The Indian Witness and Asian News Hub.

Source: The Indian Witness

The remark that started the round

The exchange follows the Prime Minister's interaction with CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh, where Modi said the elimination of Naxalism is not the final destination and that the country still faces the challenge of countering 'Dimagi Naxals' who, he alleged, have taken control of several organisations. In a veiled attack on Gandhi and other INDIA bloc parties questioning the integrity of institutions such as the Election Commission, the Prime Minister said: "Even today, they are inciting people against the country's Constitution and democracy. These 'Dimagi Naxals' have also infiltrated several political parties and different organisations. We must identify them, defeat them and ensure the security of the nation," IANS reported.

Later, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi challenged Prime Minister Modi to a public debate over the allegations of being 'Dimagi Naxals' and anti-nationals controlled by foreign entities — the challenge Rijiju's post answers.

BJP widens the attack

Responding to Gandhi's claims, four-time BJP MP from Jharkhand Nishikant Dubey on Monday questioned, in an X post reported by IANS, the Congress leader's alleged meeting with two Chinese ministers during his 2018 Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, and asked how many people had been sent to China under an exchange programme following the 2008 agreement between the Congress and the Communist Party of China. These are Dubey's questions and allegations; Gandhi and the Congress have not been reported responding to them in the wire copy.

Why it matters

The BJP and the Congress have been exchanging verbal blows for days over the fight against Naxalism and alleged foreign intervention in Indian politics. Rijiju's post moves the government's claim — that armed Maoism has been eliminated — into a new argument about ideology and institutions, with the opposition demanding the Prime Minister defend the charge in open debate.

Sources: IANS (wire report, November 10), The Indian Witness and Asian News Hub, reporting Rijiju's X post, the Prime Minister's CRPF interaction remarks and Rahul Gandhi's debate challenge.