KOCHI: Rajya Sabha MP and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal on Sunday described himself as a ‘Dimagi Naxal’, a term coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and used by the BJP to target those it accuses of being ideological sympathisers of Naxalism.
“I have to make a confession. I am a ‘Dimagi Naxal’,” Sibal said, beginning his speech at a talk on ‘Horse Trade and Democracy’ held in connection with the 15th state conference of the All India Lawyers Union in Kochi.
Modi had earlier used the term ‘Dimagi Naxals’ to refer to people he alleged had entrenched themselves in the system and posed a threat to society by influencing policies. He had also called upon people to “identify and isolate” them.
On horse trading, Sibal said the practice was not merely a passing political controversy but a constitutional crisis that undermined representative government and the integrity of the electoral mandate.
“Horse trading is an ugly phrase for an uglier practice,” he said, describing it as the organised purchase or inducement of elected representatives to replace a majority chosen by voters with one manufactured after an election.
He said such inducements could involve cash, positions, or protection from investigation, while defections could sometimes take the form of a “merger”. “The citizen votes for one mandate. Power is delivered to another,” he said.
Drawing an analogy with the historical importance of horses in warfare, Sibal said horse sellers in ancient times used various tricks while dealing with buyers. “It has now taken a different colour. At that point in time, it was the seller who used to be the trickster. At this point in time, it is the buyer who is the trickster. That is the difference,” the former Congress leader said.