Modi Warns of ‘Intellectual Naxals’ in Independence Day Speech

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has warned that the country still faces a threat from ideological supporters of the Naxalite movement, despite what he described as major progress in eliminating the armed Maoist insurgency.

Speaking during India’s Independence Day celebrations on Saturday, Modi said his government had succeeded in largely “getting rid of armed Naxals,” referring to the Maoist-influenced Naxalite rebellion that has challenged state authority across parts of central and eastern India for decades.

However, he accused “intellectual Naxals” of seeking opportunities to create violence and said they needed to be “identified and isolated.”

The term echoes the politically controversial expression “urban Naxal,” which Modi and members of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have previously used against activists, academics, intellectuals and other critics of the government.

Modi credited his government’s security and development policies with significantly reducing Maoist violence since he came to power in 2014. He said the insurgency had “destroyed the future” of generations of young Indians.

The Naxalite movement began in 1967 with an uprising in Naxalbari in eastern India and later developed into a decades-long armed rebellion claiming to represent landless farmers, poor rural communities and Indigenous groups. Thousands of civilians, rebels and security personnel have been killed during the conflict.

Modi also highlighted initiatives targeting young people, including artificial intelligence skills training and free online coaching for competitive examinations.

He further said India had transformed from a “fragile” economy into the world’s fastest-growing major economy and reaffirmed his government’s ambition to make India a developed country by 2047, the centenary of its independence.

Rights groups, however, have repeatedly accused the Indian government of using anti-terrorism laws, sedition-related provisions and foreign-funding regulations to pressure civil society organisations and target activists, journalists and government critics.

• Tweet
• Share
• Share
• Share
• Share