Jammu, August 18: Senior BJP leader and former Minister Bali Bhagat on Tuesday mocked the Opposition for its agitated response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warning against “Dimaagi Naxals”, saying their reaction had only exposed the mindset that the Prime Minister cautioned the nation against.
“The Prime Minister did not name any Opposition leader, yet several of them rushed forward to embrace the label. As the saying goes, Modi Ji ne dukhti nabz par haath rakh diya. Their discomfort and outrage reveal far more than any political speech could,” Bhagat said.
In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Modi had distinguished armed Naxalism from those allegedly promoting Maoist thinking, violence and anarchy through institutions and public discourse. He urged the country to identify and isolate such ideological forces so that India’s youth could remain focused on nation-building.
Bhagat launched a particularly sharp attack on PDP president Mehbooba Mufti for declaring, “I support Article 370. I’m a dimaagi Naxal.” He said her statement amounted to a “self-issued political certificate” and exposed the PDP’s continuing attachment to separatist narratives.
“Mehbooba Mufti has herself connected her support for Article 370 with the expression ‘dimaagi Naxal’. Nobody forced her to make that admission. It shows how deeply the politics of separatism, emotional exploitation and confrontation with the nation has become embedded in the PDP’s thinking,” he said.
Bhagat alleged that Mehbooba Mufti and her party had repeatedly attempted to revive the politics of fear and alienation in Jammu and Kashmir even after the abrogation of Article 370 brought constitutional equality, grassroots democracy and greater integration with the rest of India.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir have rejected the politics of stone-pelting, shutdowns and separatist intimidation. Mehbooba Mufti may continue mourning Article 370, but she cannot push the Union Territory back into the dark era from which it has emerged,” he asserted.
Taking on senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who said he was “proud to be a dimaagi Naxal”, Bhagat remarked that the former Union Home Minister had voluntarily validated the BJP’s charge concerning the ideological direction of the Congress.
“When a former Home Minister proudly adopts terminology associated with a mindset that seeks opportunities for violence and anarchy, the Congress leadership owes the nation an explanation. This is not intellectual freedom; it is political irresponsibility of the highest order,” Bhagat said.
He also targeted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, alleging that under his leadership the Congress had repeatedly stood with groups and narratives that attempted to weaken national institutions, demoralise security forces and create distrust among young Indians.
“Rahul Gandhi and his party routinely portray every anti-national or disruptive ecosystem as dissent, while branding decisive action taken in the national interest as authoritarianism. Congress leaders must decide whether they stand with India’s constitutional democracy or with forces that exploit grievances to spread chaos,” he said.
Bhagat clarified that criticism of the government was an essential democratic right, but supporting separatism, glorifying extremist thinking or justifying violence could never be passed off as ordinary political disagreement.
“Prime Minister Modi’s message was unambiguous: armed Naxalism may be nearing its end, but the ideology that encourages violence, separatism and institutional sabotage must also be defeated. The Opposition’s panicked response proves that the warning was timely, necessary and accurate,” he stated.
Bhagat said the people of India could clearly distinguish between legitimate democratic dissent and an organised ideological campaign intended to weaken the country from within.
“Mehbooba Mufti, P. Chidambaram, Rahul Gandhi and the entire Opposition ecosystem should stop playing victim. Instead of attacking the Prime Minister, they must explain why a call to isolate supporters of violence and separatism has disturbed them so deeply,” he added.
