Patna, August 16: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a sharp attack on senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram for his comment referring to ‘mental Naxals’ on Sunday. The BJP questioned the meaning behind Chidambaram’s controversial remarks.
Chidambaram’s response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s identification of ‘mental Naxals’ during his Independence Day speech sparked a heated political debate between the BJP and Congress. The BJP took the opportunity to target Congress aggressively.
During a press conference in Patna, Prasad addressed Chidambaram’s statement, “I take pride in being a mental Naxal,” labeling it as ‘extremely irresponsible’ and ‘absurd.’
Prasad pointed out that despite being a former Home Minister and a senior lawyer, Chidambaram failed to grasp the context of Prime Minister Modi’s statement.
He emphasized that Modi had outlined a roadmap for a ‘developed India’ by 2047 in his Independence Day speech. The Prime Minister spoke about the government’s success in combating Naxalism while noting that some individuals still harbor ‘Naxal thinking.’
In response to this statement, Chidambaram took to social media platform X, declaring, “I take pride in being a mental Naxal!”
Prasad demanded that the Congress leader clarify the meaning of his statement. He remarked that given Chidambaram’s stature as a Rajya Sabha MP, senior Supreme Court lawyer, and former Home Minister, greater responsibility and seriousness were expected from him.
Recalling his experiences as the Congress in-charge for Chhattisgarh, Prasad asserted that he had witnessed the changing ground realities firsthand.
He claimed that there exists an entire ecosystem within Congress that adopts a lenient stance towards Maoism and Naxalism.
Prasad further stated that ‘mental Naxal’ and ‘urban Naxal’ are merely different manifestations of the same ideology.
He accused Chidambaram’s remarks of reflecting how the Congress-led UPA government operated.
The senior BJP leader alleged that during Manmohan Singh’s tenure, Maoists killed 76 BSF and CRPF personnel. Yet, Chidambaram expressed willingness to engage in dialogue, even planning an event in prison to welcome those responsible for the attacks.
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