Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 9 November 2026, over the Prime Minister's recent use of the term Dimagi Naxal during Diwali. Speaking to reporters in Patna, Yadav said the Prime Minister keeps introducing new terms while inflation and unemployment rise in the country.
What PM Modi had said in Bastar
Prime Minister Modi addressed security personnel during his Diwali celebrations in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, on Sunday. He warned that the threat of Naxalism was not over, saying that while armed Naxalites had been eliminated from the forests, those he described as Dimagi Naxals had infiltrated several organisations and political parties and were inciting people against the Constitution and democracy. The Prime Minister said, "We must remember one thing. Naxalites have been eliminated, but the threat is not yet over. While armed Naxalites have been wiped out from the forests, Dimagi Naxals have taken control of several organisations." He added that they must be identified, defeated and the country kept safe.
Tejashwi Yadav's counterattack
Tejashwi Yadav said in Patna, "He is talking about Gen Z, I suppose? Given the way these people speak, and the new terms the Prime Minister keeps introducing, it is quite something. More importantly, why are you unable to eradicate unemployment from the country? You have allowed inflation to quadruple. China keeps encroaching further into our territory. The rupee is weakening, while the dollar is becoming more expensive and stronger." He also questioned the Centre's industrial track record in Bihar. "Why didn't you set up factories in Bihar? Had you done so, perhaps those you label as Dimagi Naxals would not be questioning you today," he added. Yadav said the Prime Minister should answer questions on real problems instead of coining new phrases.
BJP response and the Bihar context
BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok said this is the first Diwali after the end of Naxalism, defending the Prime Minister's remarks. The exchange comes as Bihar politics heats up ahead of Prime Minister Modi's proposed visit to the state on 21 November, when the Kacchi Dargah Bidupur six lane bridge in Vaishali is proposed to be inaugurated. Tejashwi Yadav also attacked the Prime Minister ahead of that visit, questioning the credit for the bridge project and the state of democracy in Bihar. The Dimagi Naxal remark has now become the latest flashpoint between the RJD and the BJP in the state.
Why the remark matters
The term Dimagi Naxal, which the Prime Minister used to describe people he accuses of spreading Naxal ideology without carrying arms, has drawn sharp reactions from the opposition. Tejashwi Yadav's response frames it as a distraction from unemployment, inflation, the falling rupee and the lack of industry in Bihar. The BJP, on its part, presents the remark as a warning about an ideological threat that remains after the armed movement has been weakened.
