Guwahati, August 17: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched a sharp attack on former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, calling him a “pure Naxal” and demanding an inquiry into his tenure as the country’s Home Minister.
Sarma’s remarks came after Chidambaram responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent criticism of what he described as “dimaagi Naxals”. Chidambaram had posted on social media that he was “proud to be a dimaagi Naxal”, triggering a fresh political controversy. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Monday, Sarma said Chidambaram should not be described merely as a “dimaagi Naxal”. He went a step further and called him a “pure Naxal”.
“Now that P Chidambaram, who was the country’s Home Minister, has called himself a ‘dimaagi Naxal’, an inquiry should be held to probe whether he deliberately did not take action to end Naxalism during his tenure as the country’s Home Minister,” Sarma said.
The remarks follow a political debate over the government's handling of Left-Wing Extremism. During his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said armed Naxalism had been substantially weakened but alleged that ideological supporters of Maoist thinking continued to influence institutions and policymaking spaces.
Chidambaram’s response was seen as a direct challenge to that argument. His statement quickly became a political flashpoint, with BJP leaders using it to question the Congress leader’s position on the Maoist issue.
Sarma also broadened his attack to the Congress leadership, accusing Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi of pursuing what he described as an “anti-national mission”. He also criticised the party over a controversy surrounding the recitation of ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Congress headquarters. The Congress has rejected the allegations concerning the national song, maintaining that the party leaders' actions were being misinterpreted and used for political purposes.
The latest exchange is part of a wider confrontation between the BJP and Congress over nationalism, Naxalism and the legacy of the previous UPA government. Chidambaram served as Union Home Minister from 2008 to 2012, a period that included several major security challenges and intense government operations against Maoist insurgents.
Sarma’s demand for an inquiry adds a new dimension to the political row. Whether any formal investigation will actually be initiated remains unclear. For now, the controversy has intensified the war of words between the BJP and Congress, with both sides accusing the other of compromising on national interests.
