Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, warned that people with what he described as a “Naxal mentality” had embedded themselves in the corridors of power. He called for such individuals to be identified and isolated.

The Prime Minister said armed Naxalism had declined significantly in the country, but ideological supporters of Maoism continued to pose a threat to society. He alleged that such people had influenced policymaking while working as advisers and members of government committees. Modi accused these groups of seeking opportunities to promote violence, create social divisions and move young people away from the country’s development goals. He urged citizens to remain vigilant and said the younger generation should be connected with the effort to build a developed India.

The Prime Minister did not provide a formal legal definition of “dimaagi Naxals”. The term was presented as a political and ideological description rather than an established legal category, raising questions about how it would be applied.
The remarks drew criticism from the Congress, which accused the government of using the phrase to target political opponents and described the statement as a sign of desperation.

Modi’s warning shifts the focus from armed insurgency to what he describes as ideological Naxalism within institutions and society. While the government sees this as a national-security concern, critics fear that the broad phrase could be used to label dissenting voices without clear legal standards.