Opposition parties on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "dimaagi Naxal" remark, saying he should not have used his Independence Day speech for politics, and claimed his pitch on 33 per cent women's reservation in legislatures displayed the ruling BJP's "hypocrisy" after not implementing the quota in the 2024 general elections.
New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI):— Opposition parties on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "dimaagi Naxal" remark, saying he should not have used his Independence Day speech for politics, and claimed his pitch on 33 per cent women's reservation in legislatures displayed the ruling BJP's "hypocrisy" after not implementing the quota in the 2024 general elections.
Senior BJP leaders, however, hailed the prime minister's speech as a roadmap for achieving the goal of a developed nation, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah terming it a resolve for indigenous development, prosperity and self-reliance.
BJP chief Nitin Nabin said the 'Saptdhara' (seven streams of strength) listed by Modi will become new foundations of India’s development journey. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that PM Modi's resolve "is firm and clear: reform with conviction, empower the youth, strengthen our nation and make India a global powerhouse".
In his 13th consecutive address on the 80th Independence Day, the prime minister urged political parties to rise above differences to help secure 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures, called upon the youth to take the lead in building a developed India and warned against being misled by "dimaagi Naxals".
The day also saw a row over leaders of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha - Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge -- not attending the official Independence Day event at the Red Fort. The BJP also attacked the Congress over its former president Sonia Gandhi's alleged objection to the full rendition of 'Vande Mataram' during the Independence Day event at the Congress office.
On the other hand, the Congress took a swipe at PM Modi over the sequencing of his tri-coloured pocket squares, saying it seems he is celebrating the Independence Day of Ireland instead of India's.
Attacking PM Modi for his 'dimaagi Naxal' remark, leaders of several opposition parties said it was intended to stigmatise his opponents and those questioning the government, with the Congress terming it a "sure sign of desperation".
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the prime minister was claiming credit for all that the Congress has done and warned that "he may bring the national flag down one day". He also accused the prime minister of speaking lies from the Red Fort, as he targeted him on the issues of Ram temple donations "theft" and police action against students.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the prime minister first attacked his opponents as "urban Naxals" and is now calling them "dimaagi Naxals".
"First he called his opponents 'urban naxals'. Now he calls them 'dimaagi naxals'. It is a sure sign of his desperation. It is a separate matter that he ends up doing whatever these so-called 'urban naxals' or now 'dimaagi naxals' are demanding or advocating. It is not for nothing that the PM has an MA being the 'Master Abuser' in Entire Political Science that he is," Ramesh said in a post on X.
He also alleged that the prime minister made a "dishonest" pitch on women reservation in his address at Red Fort, saying ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ was unanimously passed in September 2023, but the BJP government’s "double-faced hypocrisy" made sure it wouldn’t come into effect from the 2024 elections.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the Red Fort is not the place from where one should speak lies, and urged the Centre to implement the Women Reservation Bill in the 2027 UP Assembly elections.
CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby said, "They always wanted to accuse people in the Opposition that they are anti-national. This is a very convenient accusation that they are Maoist in their mind. It is an atrocious allegation."
On women's reservation, he said all political parties should press the government to implement the quota in the existing seats, instead of linking it to delimitation.
CPI general secretary D Raja said Modi had chosen to target dissenters even on Independence Day.
"Prime Minister Modi finds time and opportunity to target dissenters even on a solemn national occasion like Independence Day, conveniently forgetting what the people of India are asking of him and his government," Raja said.
"This is nothing but an attempt to stigmatise dissent and intimidate those who question the government," he said, asking Modi to answer questions by students and young people on education and employment.
CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar said the government had no justification for holding back the women's quota when all parties supported the legislation.
TMC leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale also attacked Modi, accusing him of using the Independence Day platform to target his critics.
"Instead of apologising to the youth for using violence and pellet guns on them, Modi is peddling his usual nonsense. Dump the ego, Mr PM. It's not helping," he said.
The Women's Reservation Bill, formally the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was passed by Parliament in September 2023 and became the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act after receiving presidential assent. It provides for reserving one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies and the Delhi Assembly for women.
The provision has become a point of contention between the government and Opposition, with opposition parties demanding that the quota be implemented without waiting for delimitation.
The 131st Constitution Amendment Bill that proposed to increase the Lok Sabha seats to 816 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census, was defeated in Lok Sabha after the Congress and its allies opposed it.