Rijiju calls Naseeruddin Shah a 'dangerous urban dimagi Naxal' after actor embraces the label
PTC Web Desk: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has hit out at actor Naseeruddin Shah, describing him as a “dangerous urban dimagi naxal” a day after the veteran performer proudly owned that very tag in a video message.
Writing on X, Rijiju said he had always held Shah in high regard and thought of him as nothing more than a fine actor. That impression, he said, changed only recently, when he saw what he called the actor’s “real character.” In Hindi, he added that Shah’s views were deeply damaging to Indian democracy.
The row began when Shah posted a video on Facebook on Tuesday backing students of Jamia Millia Islamia, who are demanding that their students’ union be revived. Elections to the body have not been held since 2006.
In the clip, Shah is seen wearing a badge that reads “dimagi naxal.” He said he was happy to accept the label, and pointed out that critics of the government have often been branded “anti-national” or part of the “tukde-tukde gang.”
Shah questioned how far the government intended to go in shaking the confidence of young people, weakening the education system and putting democracy at risk. He listed institutions where, he claimed, students had been badly treated: Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, and now Jamia. Such treatment, he warned, would not be forgotten.
He ended the video by reciting a line from the revolutionary poem Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna, “Dekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-qatil mein hai,” and declared his support for the country’s youth. Shah has also spoken in favour of students protesting at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata.
The phrase “dimagi naxal” was first used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech, where he spoke of elements within the system that he said were a danger to society. Since then, the term has become a regular feature of political back-and-forth over criticism of the government.
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- PTC NEWS
