The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Naxal’ remark made on Independence Day.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal hit back at the Prime Minister, saying, “Yes, I am a Mann Ki Naxal because I am a patriot, and I am proud of it.”
Kejriwal said that if Bhagat Singh and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar were alive today, the Prime Minister would not have spared them either and might have called them “Mann Ki Naxals.” In a video shared on social media on Monday, Kejriwal said that according to the Prime Minister, a ‘Mann Ki Naxal’ is someone who dares to question the system and wants to bring about change in the country.
Kejriwal claimed that anyone who wants to change what he described as a rotten system, demands better government schools and hospitals, and seeks improved facilities such as electricity, water, sewerage and drainage, is being viewed as a ‘Mann Ki Naxal’. He further said that those who dream of a corruption-free India and a developed nation, and those who are not afraid of the Prime Minister or the BJP, are also being described in the same manner.
Kejriwal said that if anyone acts or speaks against the country, they should be confronted, while asserting that raising questions about governance should not be equated with being anti-national.
Sanjay Singh questions PM Modi’s remark
AAP senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also criticised the Prime Minister’s statement and questioned whom the term ‘Mann Ki Naxal’ was being used to describe. Singh said that young people and members of Gen-Z have been raising issues such as paper leaks, employment and the condition of government schools. He claimed that Gen-Alpha has also started raising its voice over issues affecting their education and future.
‘Are the students raising questions also Mann Ki Naxals?’
Sanjay Singh asked whether young people demanding an end to paper leaks and seeking employment opportunities should also be labelled ‘Mann Ki Naxals’. He also referred to children raising concerns about poor infrastructure in schools, including damaged roofs, inadequate classrooms and problems related to mid-day meals.
Singh questioned whether children speaking out about such basic issues should also be described as ‘Mann Ki Naxals’. He alleged that the government is uncomfortable with the fact that citizens, young people, children, farmers and women have increasingly begun raising their voices about their concerns and rights. The AAP leaders’ remarks came in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day statement and reflect the political disagreement between the ruling BJP and the opposition party over the term ‘Mann Ki Naxal’.