NEW DELHI: Former Union minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent remarks targeting the Opposition, saying he was “happy” and “proud” to be called a “Dimagi Naxal” and describing the “Naraaz Fufa” remark as meaningless.Speaking to news agency ANI, Chidambaram said, “I’m happy that I’m not a Bewakoof Naxal. I’m happy that I am a Dimagi Naxal.”Calling PM Modi a “self-confessed poet”, Chidambaram said the Prime Minister often coins slogans and expressions and later translates them into English.“He is a self-confessed poet. He writes poetry in Gujarati. I think he coins these words in Gujarati and translates them into English. I read the translation into English, but this is his way,” Chidambaram said.“He started by saying, ‘acche din aane wale hain’. Then I counted the slogans he had coined. I think there are something like 20-25 slogans in the last 12 years. The latest two are the ‘Dimagi Naxal’ and ‘Naraaz Fufa’,” he added.
Chidambaram says Gen Z has turned remarks into memes
Chidambaram said PM Modi’s remarks had generated discussion on social media, particularly among Gen Z users.“Tomorrow, he will say something. At the Brics Summit, he will say something. But these are meaningless. I am told that Gen Z has made a lot of memes on ‘Naraaz Fufa’ and ‘Dimagi Naxal’. When I tweeted that I’m proud to be a Dimagi Naxal, the likes were 5.5 million,” he said.“I don’t know whether all of them claim to be Dimagi Naxals, but at least a substantial number of them liked the tweet, which means they are also Dimagi Naxals,” he added.Chidambaram had earlier reacted to PM Modi’s “Dimagi Naxal” remarks in a post on X, writing, “I am proud to be a dimagi naxal!”
PM Modi’s ‘Dimagi Naxal’ remark
Chidambaram’s comments came after PM Modi, in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, urged people and authorities to “identify and isolate” those with a “dimagi naxal” or ideological Naxal mindset.The Prime Minister said government action since 2014 had largely ended jungle insurgency, which had claimed the lives of more than 3,500 security personnel. He also alleged that people with a “Maoist mentality” had earlier held positions in government committees and influenced policy.PM Modi said armed Maoist violence was “breathing its last”, but an ideological Naxal mindset continued to exist in some institutions. He also warned against allowing such a mindset to influence the country’s youth.
‘Naraaz Fufa’ jibe over freight corridor
The Congress leader’s remarks also came a day after PM Modi revived his “Naraaz Fufa” jibe at critics of government initiatives while addressing a ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ event in Vadodara.Highlighting the benefits of double-stack container freight trains, PM Modi said a recent service from JNPT in Mumbai to Vadodara carried cargo equivalent to more than 250 trucks.“Recently, a double-stack container freight train was operated from JNPT (Mumbai) to Vadodara—meaning the train ran with one container stacked on top of another. With this single trip, the volume of cargo transported from Mumbai to Vadodara was equivalent to that of over 250 trucks. Now, enter the ‘naraaz fufa’ figure—the one who will immediately start complaining: ‘What about the truck drivers? Where will the trucks go? What will happen to those who bought trucks?’ Well, ‘fufa’ has found something to grumble about now,” he said.PM Modi also said the Dedicated Freight Corridor would reduce travel time and logistics costs while saving fuel and benefiting the environment. He said work on the 2,800-kilometre corridor had been completed and that the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors were becoming the “backbone” of India’s trade and commerce.PM Modi has previously used the “Naraaz Fufa” expression while addressing the centenary celebrations of Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce.At the event, he described critics of government initiatives as people who questioned the need for new projects. Referring to the world’s tallest statue, high-speed trains and UPI, the PM said the same “Phoofas” had repeatedly asked what the need for such initiatives was.
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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had also criticised the Prime Minister’s remarks at SRCC, saying he was giving the opposition “a new adjective every” year.Kharge listed terms including “Naraz Fufa, Dimaagi Naxal, Urban Naxal, Khan Market Gang, Andolan-jiwi” and “Parjivi”, and accused the government of using such labels while avoiding questions from the youth.The exchange over “Dimagi Naxal” and “Naraaz Fufa” has since added two more expressions to the ongoing political sparring between the BJP and Congress.
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