Congress must apologise to family of Manmohan Singh who termed Maoists single biggest threat: Rijiju
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has demanded an apology from the Congress party, citing former PM Manmohan Singh's 2006 stance on Maoism to counter criticism of PM Modi's 'Dimagi Naxal' remark. The dispute centers on the definition of internal security threats and the political rhetoric used by both major Indian parties.
Why it matters
This exchange reflects the polarized nature of Indian political debate regarding national security and ideological labels.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday (August 17, 2026) fired a fresh salvo at the Congress over its MP P. Chidambaram's swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "Dimagi Naxal" remark, saying the party must apologise to the family of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had said the Maoist problem was the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by India.
On Sunday (August 16, 2026), Mr. Rijiju reacted to Chidambaram’s “I am proud to be a Dimagi Naxal” remark, which followed after Mr. Modi, in his Independence Day speech, said, “we have succeeded in getting rid of armed Naxals, but 'Dimagi Naxals' (intellectual Naxals) are looking for opportunities to create violence, unrest…”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in