From Sardesai to Chidambaram: Who Really Qualifies as a Dimagi Naxal?
There was a time when being called a Naxal was hardly a compliment. Now P. Chidambaram says he is proud to be a "Dimagi Naxal." That is an extraordinary change. Rajdeep Sardesai objects to the expression. Chidambaram wears it almost as a medal. Rahul Gandhi has been pulled into the speculation, and Saurav Das has also entered the conversation. Suddenly, everyone wants to know who belongs to this new political fraternity. Perhaps the better question is this: What exactly is a Dimagi Naxal? The distinction being drawn is simple. The armed Naxal uses the gun. The Dimagi Naxal, in this political argument, uses the idea. He does not necessarily blow up a road. He questions the road. He does not necessarily attack a project with a weapon. He mobilises against it. He invokes environmental concerns, tribal rights, courts, activists, journalists and political campaigns. And if the project is eventually stopped or delayed, the objective has been achieved without firing a bullet. That i...
