Political storm brews over ‘Naxalite’ remark in Lok Sabha; MP demands apology

A heated exchange in the Lok Sabha has triggered a political row after Bharat Adivasi Party MP Rajkumar Roat accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of insulting the tribal community by labelling him a “Naxalite”.

Jaipur: A remark made in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) has sparked a political row, with Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) MP Rajkumar Roat terming it an affront to the tribal community and seeking an apology.

Roat, an MP from the Banswara-Dungarpur constituency in Rajasthan, on Wednesday responded to the remark, describing it as an insult to the entire tribal community.

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The controversy began during a discussion under Rule 193, where Union Home Minister referred to Roat and accused him of engaging in “vote-bank politics”.

Reacting sharply, Roat took to social media and launched a campaign with the hashtag #Amit_Shah_Must_Apologise. Expressing anguish, he said that labelling a tribal MP as a “Naxalite” for raising concerns about alleged killings in the name of anti-Naxal operations is deeply troubling.

“If a tribal MP raises his voice against the killing of innocent people and is then called a ‘Naxalite’ in Parliament, imagine what ordinary tribal citizens must face,” he said, adding that the issue goes beyond personal insult and touches the dignity of the entire tribal community.

Referring to Parliament as the country’s “grandest Panchayat”, Roat invoked the Constitution drafted by Dr B.R. Ambedkar and questioned whether raising community concerns in Parliament could be treated as a crime. He accused the Centre of attempting to suppress tribal voices and said that such remarks are contrary to the spirit of democracy and constitutional values.

Earlier, on March 30, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had criticised statements that tribal communities have seen no development.

He alleged that leaders from the Congress have been promoting this narrative for political gain, questioning why tribal regions remained underdeveloped despite the party being in power for decades.

Targeting Roat again, he emphasised that the Constitution provides a legitimate path to fight injustice. He pointed out that it is through this democratic framework that leaders like Roat have risen to their current positions.

He added that had such individuals taken the path of violence, they might have ended up among those surrendering to authorities. Stressing his point, he said that no issue can be resolved through weapons and that dialogue and debate remain the only effective means of finding solutions.

The Home Minister further stated that lack of development alone cannot justify extremism, noting that several regions in the country lagged behind for decades without witnessing the rise of LWE. He reiterated that India is a democracy governed by the Constitution, which offers solutions to all grievances.

HM Shah asserted that while injustice and uneven development may exist, the government is committed to ensuring justice for all and will not bow to intimidation.

He concluded by emphasising that the Constitution provides a comprehensive framework to address every issue and that all democratic avenues must be explored before resorting to any extreme measures.