New Delhi: In his first remarks after youth protests in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar that spread across the country and forced Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on Saturday (August 15) warned against “dimagi Naxals” or “intellectual Naxals” who are dragging society on the wrong path. Modi said that while Left Wing Extremism (LWE) has been dealt with in India’s forests, ‘dimagi Naxals’ remain entrenched and called for them to be isolated and for India’s youth to be aligned with the mainstream. While it was Modi’s 13th Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, it was the first since he faced widespread public anger on the streets that led him to force an Union minister to resign for the first time.Police in New Delhi during the youth protest on July 20, 2026. Photo: PTI/Gurinder Osan.Modi, however, made no mention of the protests itself, the widespread anger against irregularities in competitive examinations or the police action that was unleashed on protesters that only swelled the number of youth who had taken to the streets.Also read: Modi’s 13th Red Fort Speech Revealed a Leader Who Has Lost His Mojo The protests did appear to weigh heavy, as in an outreach to the youth, he announced that India’s digital infrastructure would be used to provide free online coaching for competitive exams and one crore youth would be provided AI skill training in the next year.Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets during the 80th Independence Day celebrations, at Red Fort in New Delhi, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. Photo: PTI/Salman Ali.Modi said while LWE had ended, “dimagi Naxals” and those with a Maoist mindset had entrenched themselves within the corridors of power and were looking for opportunities to pave the way for violence.“For years, individuals with a Maoist mindset had entrenched themselves within the corridors of power in the country. This Maoist mindset influenced policies, even through their roles as advisors on government committees. We have succeeded in eliminating armed Naxals in the forests and freeing the nation from that crisis,” he said. “However, while the armed Naxals are gone, ‘dimagi Naxals’ are waiting for an opportunity, looking for ways to pave the way for violence and discord. They are employing various tactics to drag society down the wrong path. We must identify these ‘dimagi Naxals.’ We need to isolate them and align the nation’s youth with the mainstream effort to transform the country into a developed nation.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation during the 80th Independence Day celebrations, at Red Fort in New Delhi on August 15, 2026. Photo: PTI/Shahbaz Khan.While Modi used the phrase “dimagi Naxal” for the first time he along with Union home minister Amit Shah have previously used the term “urban Naxals” to make a point against detractors. The Union home ministry has however told parliament in 2020 and 2022 that it does not use the phrase. Also read: This Independence Day, Modi is Empty, Out of Energy and IdeasIn a bid to appeal to the middle class, which has remained one of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s core voter bases, Modi announced that one crore youth will be given free online coaching to ease the burden on them.“The race for coaching classes has become a massive burden for our middle-class families. Every parent feels that if they don’t send their child to a coaching class, they aren’t considered a ‘prestigious’ family. We are concerned about the thousands of crores of rupees these poor and middle-class families spend; we want to save them that expense,” he dais. The prime minister added, “We have decided to provide free online coaching for various competitive exams for our youth. We have digital public infrastructure, as well as excellent talent and teachers. By leveraging these resources, we are establishing a comprehensive network to provide free coaching to the nation’s youth.”While promising online coaching classes, Modi made no mention of why young people are driven in thousands towards competitive exams, or their employment prospects that have dried up and instead announced AI skill training for the youth.“I want to tell the youth from the Red Fort that over the next year, 1 crore youth will receive AI skill training, so that India’s youth can lead the world in the field of AI,” he said.