'Dimaagi Naxals' lurking around: CM Rekha Gupta echoes PM Modi in I-Day speech

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day warning on “dimaagi (intellectual) Naxals”, urging the youth to remain alert to what she described as the influence of “Urban Naxals” and channel their energy towards nation-building.Addressing the nation on the 80th Independence Day, Gupta also urged young people to look beyond social media and use their ideas, creativity and talent for innovation, research and public service.“I want to say to my young friends: Do not limit your strength to social media. Use your ideas for start-ups and your creativity for innovation. Turn your questions into research, use your sensitivity for service and channel your talent towards nation-building,” she said.Gupta’s remarks came hours after PM Modi, in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, said Naxalism had been eliminated from the country but cautioned that “armed Naxals may have gone, but dimaagi (intellectual) Naxals are lurking around.” While Gupta referred to “Urban Naxals”, she also said India was fighting a “2.5-front war” – two fronts outside the country and a half front within – involving people who, she alleged, insult the country and its armed forces.‘ACTIVE, ATTENTIVE AND ATTRACTIVE’ DELHIGupta used her Independence Day address to lay out her government’s vision for Delhi, saying the national capital would be developed as an “Active, Attentive and Attractive” city that other states could seek to emulate. She said Delhi’s voters had given her government a mandate not merely to run the administration but to bring a new direction to governance, transparency and development.“Development is not limited to paper,” Gupta said, stressing that her government was focused on taking decisions quickly and addressing problems on the ground.The Chief Minister said the Centre had created a separate department for capital development, describing it as a potential “game changer” for Delhi. She also said the Reserve Bank of India had been appointed as the official banker to facilitate funds for development in the capital.FOCUS ON SCHOOLSOn education, Gupta said her government had introduced courses such as Neev and Rashtra Neeti and opened 75 new CM Shri schools.She said smart boards had been installed in 9,000 classrooms and that the government aimed to equip schools with computer and language labs, playgrounds and digital libraries.Gupta’s speech combined the political warning against what she described as internal threats with a call to Delhi’s youth to use their abilities beyond social media, while highlighting her government’s plans for development, education and governance.- Ends(with inputs from PTI)Published By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 15, 2026 15:26 IST