Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, renewed his open debate challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 November, hitting back at the prime minister’s Dimagi Naxal remark. The remark was made to Central Reserve Police Force personnel during Modi’s visit to Bastar in Chhattisgarh on Diwali.
Gandhi posted on X, addressing the CRPF: “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.”
He added in the same post: “My guarantee: after the debate, the PM won’t have the guts to stand in front of a single jawan again.” Gandhi represents Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli in the Lok Sabha.
The renewed challenge came a day after Modi praised the CRPF personnel for neutralising Naxalites in the Bastar region, but warned against Dimagi Naxals, according to the source report. Modi first used the term in his Independence Day speech in August 2026, according to the source report.
What Modi said in Bastar
Modi said armed Maoists had been wiped out from the forests, but Dimagi Naxals had gained control of several organisations. He said: ‘While armed Naxalites have been wiped out from the forests, ‘Dimagi Naxals’ have taken control of several organisations. Even today, they are inciting people against the country’s Constitution and democracy.’
He added: ‘These ‘Dimagi Naxals’ have also infiltrated several political parties and different organisations. We must identify them, defeat them and ensure the security of the nation.’ The remarks were made on Sunday during his Diwali visit to Bastar.
According to the source report, Modi described Dimagi Naxals as those who still support violence to promote their ideology. The term has drawn a sharp political response since it was first used in August.
The response from the government side
Since the remark, the opposition has accused the Modi government of using such terms to delegitimise democratic dissent, according to the source report. The Congress has dared Modi to accept Gandhi’s challenge, while the BJP has replied and alleged that Gandhi keeps running away from debates in Parliament.
BJP leaders and ministers, including Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, have said Gandhi must show some seriousness and responsibility as Leader of Opposition and debate in Parliament, according to the source report. Sitharaman replied to the challenge, according to a report cited in the gather file.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also hit back at Gandhi over the open debate challenge, according to a related report listed on the source page. The government side has framed Parliament as the proper place for such a debate.
The exchange keeps the Dimagi Naxal remark at the centre of the political debate. Gandhi has framed the issue as a question of who is anti-national and who is controlled by foreign forces, while the government side has framed it as a question of responsibility in Parliament.
No debate has been agreed so far. Gandhi’s post repeats a challenge he has made before, and the latest round began with Modi’s Diwali visit to Bastar and the CRPF personnel stationed there.
