Bastar Naxal victims' families in Delhi protest Chidambaram's remark

Families of Naxal violence victims from Chhattisgarh's Bastar reached Delhi to protest Congress leader P Chidambaram's 'dimagi Naxal' remark, stating it hurts those who have lost family members and suffered in years of Naxal attacks.

Families of victims of Naxal violence from Chhattisgarh's Bastar region reached the national capital on Tuesday to oppose Congress leader and former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's remark expressing pride in being a "dimagi Naxal", saying such statements hurt those who have lost their loved ones in Naxal attacks.

The 'Bastar Shanti Samiti', comprising locals from Bastar affected by Naxal violence, held a press conference in the national capital earlier today. They protested against senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's post on 'dimagi Naxals' and narrated their ordeal, including how they lost limbs or family members in Naxal ambushes and IED blasts.

Victims Narrate Their Ordeal

Kameshwar Kumar Sinha, a resident of Kanker in Chhattisgarh, whose father was killed in an IED blast triggered by Naxals in the region on Tuesday, said he was deeply hurt by Chidambaram's X post and came to Delhi to question the Congress leader over his remark. "A statement had come from the 'X' account of former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram that he stands with 'Dimagi Naxals' and that he is proud of them. I was really hurt. Go and see Bastar. Nobody is making statements there; instead, they are standing there with the victims as well as the jawans. Such statements coming from the national capital, hurt me a lot. So, I thought I should come to Delhi and tell him how he can say this," he told ANI.

Another woman from Kanker in Bastar, Aarti, whose husband was a security personnel, also opposed Chidambaram's statement. She said her husband, an STF jawan, was killed by Naxals in an ambush in Sukma. "My husband was in the security forces; he was an STF jawan. He was killed by Naxals in an ambush in Sukma... We are opposing what P Chidambaram is saying on social media, that he supports 'Dimagi Naxals'. There are several women like me in Bastar who lost their husbands... Now, Bastar is Naxal-free. But there are politicians in Delhi who are sitting here and saying things like this. So, we have come here. I don't want a repeat of what happened earlier," she told ANI.

While speaking on P Chidambaram's tweet on 'Dimagi Naxals', Tarun Kumar from Chhattisgarh's Kanker, who lost his legs and broke his spinal cord in a naxal attack, criticised the Congress leader's remarks, asserting that the "mindset will push Bastar back by 40 years", where there will be violence and firing. "We held a press conference here because Bastar had been burning in naxal violence for 40 years and thousands of people sacrificed their lives for establishing peace here, today when Bastar is moving ahead on the path to progress, do you want to push it back to hell where it was for 40 years? Should Bastar not progress? It should. This mindset will push Bastar back by 40 years, where there will be violence and firing, and jawans will lose their lives," he told ANI.

"I suffered an incident on 9th October 2022 and it is going to be almost 4 years. Several people in the region suffered. Now, Bastar is becoming peaceful and Naxal-free, but after hearing such statements (Dimagi Naxal tweet by P Chidambaram), we are pained because he should have stood with us but he is speaking in their support and raking up 'Dimagi Naxals'. We do not like this. Such statements should not be made. So, all of ys decided to come here and say that such statements should not be made...," a naxal-affected individual Siyaram from Bastar told ANI.

The 'Dimagi Naxal' Controversy

In the Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that while Naxals who took up arms in the jungles had been eliminated, there were also "dimagi naxals" present in different parts of the country who needed to be "identified and isolated". The Prime Minister's remark drew criticism from several opposition leaders. Chidambaram subsequently posted on X, "I am proud to be a dimagi naxal!"

Congress and Chidambaram have criticised the term "dimagi naxals", calling it a political "abuse" allegedly being used by the BJP against its opponents. They have also described it as a new variant of labels such as "urban Naxals", "Andolanjeevi" and "tukde tukde gang".

However, the victims' families said remarks made from Delhi must take into account the experiences of people in Bastar who have suffered years of Naxal violence and lost family members in attacks. They said they had come to the national capital to register their protest and convey their concerns directly over statements that they believe undermine the suffering of victims and security personnel.

Government Criticises Congress

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday alleged that the Congress was turning into a "Maoist party" amid a row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "dimagi Naxal" remark.

Speaking to ANI, Rijiju maintained that the Prime Minister's remark was not targeted at a particular opposition party, while Congress leaders thought it was aimed at them. However, he alleged that the National Advisory Council under Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was "dominated by individuals holding such ideologies" and now the Congress "appears to be turning into a Maoist party." He claimed that "ideological Naxalism" encompasses separatist tendencies and groups or individuals advocating positions such as restoration of Article 370 or attempts to create divisions between the Northeast and the rest of the country. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)