Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "Dimagi Naxals" jibe while addressing CRPF personnel, saying the jawans had not bought his "lies" and reiterating his challenge to the PM to debate him on who was anti-national and controlled by foreign forces.
The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha said that the prime minister "called us Naxals" and asserted that after the debate, Modi "won't have the guts to stand in front of a single jawan again".
In his post on X, addressed to the CRPF personnel, Gandhi said, "Dear @crpfindia, Your faces said it all: you didn't buy the PM's lies."
"He called us Naxals. My challenge stands. Let him debate me on who is anti-national and who is controlled by foreign forces. Any time, any place. My guarantee: after the debate, the PM won't have the guts to stand in front of a single jawan again," Gandhi said.
The former Congress chief's remarks came a day after Modi targeted political opponents, saying armed Maoists have been eliminated but "Dimagi Naxals" have infiltrated several political parties and organisations and are instigating people against the Constitution and democracy.
"We must identify and defeat such elements and secure the country," Modi said on Sunday, while celebrating Diwali with security personnel at a CRPF camp in Chhattisgarh's Bastar, continuing his tradition of spending the festival with India's brave men and women in uniform.
The Congress alleged that PM Modi is clearly distraught, disturbed and desperate, and his "jhola-picking-up time" is fast approaching.
In his Independence Day address in August, Modi had also referred to 'Dimagi Naxals' (people with a Naxal mindset), saying the country succeeded in removing armed Naxalism, but its ideological supporters were seeking opportunities to promote violence.
The opposition parties had accused Modi of using terms like "Dimagi Naxal" to intentionally brand and delegitimise democratic dissent.
Gandhi has been repeatedly daring PM Modi to debate with him openly. The former Congress president has "guaranteed" that it would be proven in five minutes that the PM was a "traitor".
The BJP leaders have scoffed at Gandhi's challenge, alleging that he has been running away from debates in Parliament.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that while Gandhi is asking the PM to choose the venue for a debate, there already exists one in Parliament and called on him to show "some seriousness and responsibility" as the LoP in the Lok Sabha.
(With inputs from PTI)