Guwahati: A satirical Instagram account named “Dimagi Naxal Party” has rapidly attracted attention online after Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the phrase “dimaagi Naxals” during his Independence Day address.
The account crossed 2.6 lakh followers within a day of Modi’s speech and had surpassed 4 lakh followers by Tuesday morning, August 18, amid a surge of interest and political debate around the phrase.
Created in August, the account appears to use political satire and internet humour to comment on issues surrounding governance and public life. Its profile describes itself with the slogan “Think, Research and Resist” and says it follows the ideology of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
The page had published more than 60 posts while following only a small number of accounts. Its rapid growth briefly coincided with the account becoming inaccessible, though it later returned online and continued to gain followers. It remains unclear whether the temporary disappearance resulted from deactivation, removal or another technical issue.
The account’s emergence follows a similar pattern to the “Cockroach Janta Party”, another parody political initiative that gained traction online by turning a phrase associated with unemployed youth into political satire. That platform used humour to highlight concerns including unemployment, examination problems, and criticism of the political establishment.
The term “dimaagi Naxals” entered the latest political debate after Modi used it in his August 15 address from the Red Fort while discussing the government’s efforts against Left-Wing Extremism.
Referring to the decline of armed Maoist activity in forested areas, Modi said a different challenge remained in the form of people he described as “dimaagi Naxals”. He accused them of promoting Maoist ideology, influencing policymaking and encouraging unrest, and called for such individuals to be identified and isolated while urging young people to remain connected with the mainstream.
The Prime Minister’s remarks drew a sharp response from Opposition leaders.
Congress leader P Chidambaram said he was “proud to be a dimaagi Naxal”, while Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the terminology and described it as evidence of what he called the Prime Minister’s desperation in dealing with his political opponents.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, however, defended Modi’s statement, arguing that the expression was aimed at people supporting Maoism and separatism rather than Opposition leaders as a whole.
The rapid rise of the parody Instagram account has since added a social-media dimension to the political controversy, turning a phrase from the Prime Minister’s speech into an online vehicle for satire and political commentary.