Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on ‘intellectual Naxals’ have sparked a sharp political war across the country.
After the Prime Minister called the Opposition ‘intellectual Naxals’ from the ramparts of the Red Fort, former Home Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said he takes pride in being an ‘intellectual Naxal’.
Following this, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma targeted Chidambaram at a press conference held on Sunday. At the press meet, the Chief Minister called Chidambaram not just an ‘intellectual Naxal’ but a ‘pure Naxal’.
CM Sarma also raised questions about Chidambaram’s role in dealing with Left-wing extremism during his tenure as Union Home Minister. He claimed that since Chidambaram has proudly called himself an ‘intellectual Naxal’ on social media, there should be a proper investigation into whether he deliberately failed to take strict action against Naxalism when he was the country’s Home Minister.
It may be mentioned that in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort on August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had warned against the ‘intellectual Naxals’ in society. The Prime Minister alleged that while security forces have succeeded in wiping out armed Naxals from the forests, ideological Maoists had earlier occupied positions in government policy-making bodies.
Responding to the Prime Minister’s remarks, P Chidambaram on August 16 posted on social media that he takes pride in being an ‘intellectual Naxal’.
Critising the Congress party sharply, Chief Minister Dr Sarma said that the Congress cannot tolerate the peaceful environment prevailing in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The Chief Minister also made a serious allegation that the Congress is trying to create anarchy across the country and use that opportunity to return to power in 2029.
