PM Modi's 'next target is to finish Dimagi Naxals': Kiren Rijiju hits back at Rahul Gandhi

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, on Tuesday, targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Dimagi Naxals" remark, saying the PM's next target is to finish "Dimagi Naxals" after eliminating armed Maoists.

In a post on X, Rijiju said, "Rahul ji, thank Modi ji for eliminating the Armed Maoists. Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh ji had famously described Left-Wing Extremism and Naxalism as 'The single biggest internal security threat' to India.

"Next target is to finish Dimagi Naxals," Rijiju added.

He was responding to an X post by Gandhi, who had hit out at Modi over his "Dimagi Naxals" remarks while addressing CRPF personnel, saying the jawans did not buy the PM's "lies".

The Congress leader had also challenged Modi again to debate him on who is anti-national and controlled by foreign forces.

In his post on X, addressed to the CRPF personnel, Gandhi said, "Dear @crpfindia, Your faces said it all: you didn't buy the PM's lies."

"He called us Naxals. My challenge stands. Let him debate me on who is anti-national and who is controlled by foreign forces. Any time, any place. My guarantee: after the debate, the PM won't have the guts to stand in front of a single jawan again," Gandhi said.

The former Congress chief's remarks came a day after Modi targeted political opponents, saying armed Maoists have been eliminated but "Dimagi Naxals" have infiltrated several political parties and organisations and are instigating people against the Constitution and democracy.

"We must identify and defeat such elements and secure the country," Modi said on Sunday while celebrating Diwali with security personnel at a CRPF camp in Chhattisgarh's Bastar, continuing his tradition of spending the festival with India's men and women in uniform.