Rahul Gandhi Again Challenges PM Modi For Public Debate Over 'Dimagi Naxal' And 'Foreign Influence' Remark

Congress leader and LoP in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi again challenged PM Modi to a public debate on Monday. The dig comes after the Prime Minister's alleged use of the term "Dimagi Naxals" for opposition leaders during his Diwali address to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on Sunday.

PM Modi alleged that people described as "dimagi Naxals" had made their way into various institutions, including political parties, and were turning people against the Constitution and democratic values.

What Did Rahul Gandhi Say?

Referring to the PM's remarks, Gandhi questioned who was actually acting against national interests. He called on the Prime Minister to debate who was "anti-national" and who was influenced by foreign forces.

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“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," Gandhi wrote on X.

Gandhi also asserted that after the debate, the PM won't be able to face the jawans. "My guarantee: after the debate, the PM won’t have the guts to stand in front of a single jawan again."

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. My guarantee: after the debate, the PM won't have the guts to stand in front of a single jawan again. प्रिय @crpfindia के जवानों, आपके चेहरों ने सब बता दिया - आपको प्रधानमंत्री के झूठ पर भरोसा नहीं। उन्होंने हमें नक्सली कहा। मेरी चुनौती क़ायम है। वो मुझसे बहस करें - देशद्रोही कौन है और विदेशी ताक़तों के इशारे पर कौन चल रहा है। कोई भी समय, किसी भी जगह। मेरी गारंटी: उस बहस के बाद प्रधानमंत्री में एक भी जवान के सामने खड़े होने की हिम्मत नहीं होगी।

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 9, 2026

PM Modi's Speech During Diwali Celebrations In Bastar

During his Diwali trip to Chhattisgarh, PM Modi met CRPF personnel at their camp in Karanpur, Bastar district. Addressing the forces, he said that wiping out the armed Maoist groups does not mean the Naxal problem is over. The ideology still has supporters in various parts of society, and he called those who back it from within organisations "dimagi Naxals."

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“Amid the successes, we must remember one more thing. Naxalites have been eliminated, but the threat is not over yet. Armed Naxalites have disappeared from the forests, but ‘dimagi Naxals’ have taken control of several organisations," he said.

“Even today, they are instigating people against the country’s Constitution and democracy. They have infiltrated several political parties and different organisations. We must identify and defeat them and secure the country," he added.

PM Modi also said that earlier governments had limited the freedom of security forces fighting Naxals, while his government had given them the power to take the decisions they needed.

He continued, "Previous governments had also kept the hands of security personnel fighting on the ground tied. Naxalite attacks would take place, but security forces did not have the freedom to retaliate openly. We gave the security forces the freedom to take all necessary decisions. We also worked to stop the support that certain people within the government and the system had extended to Left-Wing Extremism."