Congress MP Pawan Khera on Sunday took a swipe at Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju over a numbering error in his social media post defining “dimagi Naxals”, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader should “get the count right” before expecting a response.
The exchange comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, said India had largely eliminated armed Naxalism but warned that “dimagi Naxals” (people with a Maoist mindset) continued to pose a threat by attempting to influence institutions and spread unrest.
Following the Prime Minister’s remarks, Rijiju posted a list on X identifying what he described as three categories of “dimagi Naxals”. However, the list skipped the number three, jumping directly from points one and two to four.
The categories listed by Rijiju included: (1) Maoist supporters who reject the Constitution, (2) those supporting separatists and the restoration of Article 370, and (4) those allegedly seeking to separate the Northeast by targeting the “Chicken’s Neck” corridor.
(Credits: X/Kiren Rijiju)
Responding to the post, Khera mocked the numbering mistake.
“@KirenRijiju Brother, first get the count right, then we’ll respond. After 1, 2 comes 3, not 4,” the Congress leader wrote on X.
(Credits: X/Pawan Khera)
BEWARE OF ‘DIMAGI NAXALS’: PM MODI
The BJP has repeatedly used the term “dimagi Naxal” in recent months to describe individuals it alleges promote extremist ideologies through institutions, public discourse and activism.
In his Independence Day speech on Saturday, Prime Minister Modi said India had succeeded in defeating armed Naxalism but cautioned that the underlying ideology continued to survive.
“We have succeeded in eliminating armed Naxals in the forests and freeing the nation from that crisis. However, while the armed Naxals are gone, ‘dimagi Naxals’ remain, and those who harbour this mindset are waiting for an opportunity,” the Prime Minister said.
He further alleged that such individuals were attempting to pave the way for violence and discord through different means and called on citizens to identify and isolate them while ensuring that the country’s youth remained aligned with the goal of building a developed India.
The social media exchange between Khera and Rijiju comes amid a wider political debate over the Prime Minister’s remarks and the BJP’s use of the term “dimagi Naxal” to describe its ideological opponents.
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Published By:
Ritaban Misra
Published On:
Aug 16, 2026 17:51 IST
