New Delhi, Jan 20 (UNI) The Congress on Tuesday sharpened its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his reference to “urban naxals,” with senior party leader Jairam Ramesh asking whether the term is now being used to label all critics of the government despite the union Home Ministry having earlier disowned it.
In a post on X, Ramesh pointed out what he described as a contradiction between the Prime Minister’s remarks and the government’s stated position in Parliament. “The PM spoke today of the danger from what he called ‘urban naxals.’ On March 11, 2020, the Minister of State of Home answered a question in the Rajya Sabha saying that the union Home Ministry does not use the phrase ‘urban naxals,’” Ramesh said.
He further recalled that on April 29, 2024, Prime Minister Modi had accused those demanding a caste census and those raising concerns over economic inequality of having an “urban naxal mindset.” “Will the PM clarify or does he believe that anybody opposed to him is an urban naxal?” Ramesh asked.
The Congress leader’s remarks came amid renewed political debate over the Prime Minister’s comments warning against what he termed ideological threats emanating from “urban naxals,” a phrase often used in political discourse to describe alleged sympathisers of left-wing extremism operating in cities.
The government, however, has in the past maintained a formal distinction between armed left-wing extremism—commonly referred to as Naxalism or Maoism—and political dissent. In March 2020, responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Ministry of Home Affairs had stated that it does not officially use the term “urban naxals,” even as it acknowledged the presence of Maoist networks attempting to gain support in urban areas.
The Congress has repeatedly accused the BJP-led government of using loaded terminology to delegitimise dissent and social justice demands, particularly calls for a caste census and debates on inequality. The BJP, on the other hand, has argued that such criticisms overlook national security concerns and the ideological roots of extremism.
Ramesh’s latest intervention underscores the opposition’s attempt to frame the Prime Minister’s remarks as an attack on democratic opposition, while also pressing the government to clarify whether “urban naxal” is an official category or a political label used against critics. UNI SKA AAB
