Ravi Shankar Prasad calls Chidambaram's 'Mentally Naxal' remark irresponsible

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday criticised Congress leader P Chidambaram over his remark that he was also "mentally a Naxal," calling it "highly objectionable and irresponsible."

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Prasad said Chidambaram should have understood the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day remarks before making such a comment.

"During his Independence Day address, Modi spoke about the government's success in tackling Maoists. Modi also said that although Naxalism has been eliminated, some people are still mentally Naxal.

In this context, Chidambaram said, 'Modi ji, I am also mentally a Naxal,' which is unbecoming of a former Union home minister, a Rajya Sabha member and senior Supreme Court lawyer," Prasad said.

He said Chidambaram "should have understood the context and purpose" of the prime minister's remarks before making such a statement.

Prasad alleged that a section of the Congress "ecosystem" had long maintained a "soft approach" towards Maoists, and claimed that Chidambaram's remarks reflected the same mindset. "'Mental Naxal' and 'urban Naxal' are different forms of the same thinking," he said.

Prasad also alleged that during the singing of the national song "Vande Mataram" at an Independence Day programme, the Congress leadership, particularly Sonia Gandhi, disrupted the complete rendition of the song.

"It is unfortunate that the Congress, which claims to have played a significant role in the freedom movement, has shown such disrespect towards 'Vande Mataram'. The Congress should apologise to the country for the incident," the MP said.

There should be no politics over respect for the nation and national symbols, he added.

(Inputs from PTI)