80th Independence Day: PM Modi Warns ‘Dimagi Naxalism’ Still Poses Challenge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India has substantially weakened armed Naxalism.

Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on Independence Day, PM Modi warned that what he termed ‘dimagi Naxalism’ still poses a challenge.

PM Modi recalled the situation in 2014, when Naxalite violence had affected several parts of the country. He said the government had fulfilled its pledge to curb armed insurgency.

The Prime Minister said Maoist insurgents no longer retain the strength to sustain armed operations in regions that once witnessed intense violence. He contrasted those areas with their present development, saying they now display the ‘Tricolour of development, trust and effort’.

Prime Minister Modi argued that the ideological strand of Naxalism remains active. He claimed that people holding Maoist views had earlier occupied influential positions, including advisory roles in government committees, and had influenced policymaking.

The Prime Minister said armed Naxals operating in forests have been largely eliminated. He nevertheless warned that ideological Naxalism could seek opportunities to encourage violence and disorder.

Prime Minister Modi called for such individuals to be identified and isolated. He linked the issue to the country’s youth and stressed the importance of keeping young Indians connected with mainstream nation-building.

PM Modi said the youth must remain focused on India’s larger objective of becoming a developed nation.

The remarks broaden the government’s stated approach to Naxalism.

The focus now extends beyond armed insurgency in central and eastern India to what PM Modi described as an intellectual and ideological ecosystem. He alleged that this ecosystem can influence institutions, public policy and wider society.

The Prime Minister’s comments therefore placed ideological opposition alongside the continuing effort to eliminate armed Naxalite violence.

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