NEW DELHI, Nov 10: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said the next target was to eliminate “mental Naxals”, responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on “Dimagi Naxals”.
In a post on X addressed to Gandhi, Rijiju said, “Rahulji, thank Modiji for eliminating armed Maoists. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had described Left-wing extremism and Naxalism as the biggest threat to the country’s internal security.”
“The next target is to eliminate mental Naxals,” Rijiju said.
Earlier, Modi had raised the issue of “Dimagi Naxals” while addressing security personnel during Diwali celebrations in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. He said armed Naxalites had been eliminated from forests, but the influence of mental Naxals remained in various organisations and political parties.
Reacting on social media on Monday, Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, addressed CRPF personnel present at the Bastar Diwali event. “The expressions on your faces said it all. You did not believe what the Prime Minister said,” he wrote.
Gandhi also renewed his challenge to Modi for an open debate on who was anti-national and who was controlled by foreign powers.
