Editors Guild of India Condemns BJP's AI Rap Video on 'Dimagi Naxals' Targeting Senior Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai

ON AUGUST 15, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the phrase ‘Dimagi Naxal (intellectual Naxal)’ in his speech on India’s 80th Independence Day. The phrase instantly went viral, with questions arising about whom the phrase was directed towards. In a recent development, the official X handle of BJP Goa posted a video on August 20, 2026, explaining who the ‘Dimagi Naxals’ are and targeting certain individuals under the label of ‘intellectual Naxals’. The video instantly gained attention.

As a response, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) has released a public statement condemning the latest video posted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on August 24, 2026. The statement called out the ruling government for using the phrase for individuals who are “questioning the government.” Several users had earlier assumed that PM Modi’s phrase ‘Dimagi Naxals’ was an indirect jibe at the newly formed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which led a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the alleged NEET paper leak. 

See Also: Congress reduced to a gang of ‘Urban Naxals’: PM Modi

Editors Guild of India Condemns BJP’s Dimagi Naxal Video

In an official statement, the Editors Guild of India also called out the BJP’s AI-generated rap video on ‘Dimagi Naxals’ for targeting senior Indian journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. On the occasion of completing 79 years of Independence, PM Modi’s address and his use of the phrase ‘Dimagi Naxals’ lingered. During his speech, he said that the government had been successful in dealing with the Naxals in the forests, but the intellectual Naxals still remained.

Later, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram took to X, where he wrote, “I am proud to be a dimagi naxal,” fuelling a political war. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi slammed the Congress and responded to Chidambaram’s statement at a press conference. The Editors Guild of India referenced his statement, citing, “Sudhanshu Trivedi had stated that such ‘Intellectual Naxals’ sympathised with and provided intellectual support to Naxals.”

The Guild further slammed the party for including an AI-generated image of India Today anchor Rajdeep Sardesai in the video. They wrote, “He has been objectively presenting and analysing news developments. By no stretch can his actions and utterances be termed those of a ‘Dimagi Naxal’.”

The EGI further raised concerns over the source of the AI-generated video, which has currently amassed over 163K views on X. “Such attacks undermine the democratic credentials of our country and further erode media freedom enshrined in our Constitution under the right to freedom of expression,” said the EGI. The statement further pointed out that, given the “constrained space for independent media,” India’s position in the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders stands at 157 out of 180 countries.

See Also: Who Exactly are Dimagi Naxals? Kiren Rijiju Attempts an Explanation

The EGI statement continued, “The Guild calls on the BJP’s social media outlets to refrain from attempting to paint media professionals discharging their professional duties as public enemies and to recognise that dissent and scrutiny are an integral part of the democratic process.” 

What was the ‘Dimagi Naxal’ Video about?

The official handle of BJP Goa posted the video with the caption, “Violence gets intellectualised, terrorists get sympathised with, soldiers get interrogated. If that sounds familiar, you know who you are.”

The video featured several illustrations of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with stills from the CJP-led protest that concluded on July 25, 2026. The video was a rap featuring AI-generated stills of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal, journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, singer Vishal Dadlani, Youtuber Dhruv Rathee, and actor Prakash Raj.

The video further explained that people who support armed violence, sympathize with terrorists and question security forces are “intellectual Naxals.” The video continued to slam Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal and others, who were placed under the umbrella of the ‘Dimagi Naxal’ term initially used by PM Modi in his Independence Day speech.

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(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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