India, Aug. 24 -- The politics of labelling certain groups or ideologies to demarcate them is emerging day by day from responsible individuals to particular groups. The most recent example is the expression "dimagi Naxal," literally "intellectual" or "mind-based Naxalite," which was used by the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address to the nation on August 15, 2026. It has sparked an important debate about the meaning of Naxalism, the limits of dissent and the place of critical thinking in a constitutional democracy. The Prime Minister distinguished between armed Naxals in the jungles and "dimagi Naxals" in society operating through ideas and influence.

The question that deserves serious consideration, h...