BJP’s violent meme war: The attacks on opponents and dissenters as ‘Dimagi Naxals’

Following a restructuring of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) digital wing, the party has intensified its social media campaigning, increasingly employing violent memes and videos.

On August 27, the Karnataka unit of the BJP shared a meme featuring a clip from the film ‘KGF: Chapter 2’, in which the protagonist unleashes a barrage of gunfire on his opponents. In the meme, the shooters were depicted as the BJP’s state units, while the opponents were labeled ‘Dimagi Naxals’ — a term used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech to describe individuals with a “Naxalite mindset”.

The accompanying caption stated, “We will not stop, we are confronting ‘Urban Naxals’ with full force.” The BJP Karnataka unit posted this video on Instagram as a collaborative post with the BJP units of Delhi, Goa, and Jammu & Kashmir.

The Chhattisgarh BJP posted a clip from the web series ‘Mirzapur’ in which the character ‘Munna Bhaiya’ repeatedly slaps a student. In the clip, the student is portrayed as a ‘Dimagi Naxal’.

The post’s caption states that instead of becoming a ‘Dimagi Naxal’, one could become a person who contributes to the country’s progress. It is worth noting that the person delivering the slaps is a goon, while the recipient is a student whom the BJP has labeled a ‘Dimagi Naxal’.

The Himachal Pradesh BJP posted another scene from the web series ‘Mirzapur’ in which one character brandishes a knife, while another places a revolver on the table and delivers a tight slap to the first character.

In this depiction, the character with the knife is portrayed as an ‘Dimagi Naxal,’ while the other character represents the Himachal Pradesh BJP. The caption accompanying the post states that this reflects the state of the ‘Dimagi Naxal.’

Similarly, the Bengal BJP posted another scene depicting a physical altercation, with the caption: “Unbothered, moisturised, sitting in our lane, just bashing the Dimaagi Naxals.”

Following this, the BJP Telangana unit also posted a meme about battering ‘Dimagi Naxals’ in collaboration with Gen Z.

The Punjab BJP posted an AI-generated video showing an angry parent slapping Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inside a government school. In the video, a teacher is seen writing an incorrect spelling on the blackboard while Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal watch. Suddenly, the parent spots errors in their child’s notebook and, in a fit of rage, slaps the Chief Minister.

Unlike posts featuring memes from the film KGF or the web series Mirzapur, the Punjab BJP’s post did not use fictional characters to make a point. Instead, it used AI to create a scene depicting a physical attack on a state’s elected Chief Minister, creating a fabricated image of violence directed at a real, identifiable individual. Following widespread criticism, the Punjab BJP deleted the post.

The Origins Of ‘Dimagi Naxal’

The term ‘Dimagi Naxal’ recently entered India’s political vocabulary and is now becoming a weapon wielded by BJP and its affliates to attack dissenters and opposition on social media.

The term originated during Modi’s Independence Day speech at Red Fort, wherein he declared that while the country had eliminated the armed Naxals hiding in the forests, ‘Dimagi Naxals’ remained active within society. He claimed that individuals with a Maoist mindset had entrenched themselves in the corridors of power and influenced policies while serving as advisors on government committees, he emphasised the need to identify and isolate them.

The Prime Minister did not directly mention any specific individual or organisation. However, critics believe that, much like terms such as ‘Urban Naxal,’ ‘Tukde-Tukde Gang,’ and ‘Andolanjeevi’, the term ‘Dimagi Naxal’ is another such label to attack dissenters.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted: ‘Dimagi Naxals’ are those who support Maoists and do not accept the Indian Constitution, who stand with separatists and support Article 370, and who want to sever the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ to separate the North-East from India.

In a follow up tweet, Rijiju posted a video of political prisoner Sharjeel Imam, while writing: “…Kapil Sibal and Company who are trying to save this person and his Tukde-Tukde Gang members, P. Chidambaram should clarify if he too supports this statement. Dimagi Naxal can be proven by a person’s actions and expressions. #DimagiNaxal.”

The most alarming aspect of the campaign waged against this fabricated concept of ‘Dimagi Naxalism’ is not any single video, but the dangerous pattern underlying it. ‘Dimagi Naxal’ has become a label coined not for actual terrorist groups, but merely for those holding dissenting views, people whom memes have depicted as being brutally beaten or riddled with bullets.

All these videos have also been posted on the official state Instagram handles of BJP. Alt News has informed Meta about this content, clearly violative of platform guidelines. The article will be updated with Meta’s response.

This story was originally published by Alt News and has been republished with permission.