A political storm has erupted after the Maharashtra police conducted a multi-city crackdown at the residences of Maoist sympathisers and detained five of them on Tuesday. Appearing on Republic TV's primetime debate on the development, Vivek Agnihotri, the author of 'Urban Naxals: Buddha in a traffic jam', took his stand on the the authorities' action, calling Urban Naxals 'the invisible enemies of India'.

"These are the enemies of the state. It's not about BJP or Congress. What I failed to understand is whenever something of this kind happens why they get rattled? These are very dangerous people and they are invisible enemies of India", the Filmmaker and Author of 'Urban Naxals' said.

Questioning the Opposition parties that have attacked the Modi government over the detentions of Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and Varavara Rao, and the house arrests of Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha, Vivek Agnihotri said:

"There is a bigger game plan. All these names did not pop up today. They have been there since 2011. That government never acted, this government is acting."

On April 16, 2018, the Union Home Ministry removed 44 districts from the list of 'left-wing extremism' (LWE) hit states. This brought the number of affected districts down to 30. Taking on the shrinking stronghold of Maoists, Vivek Agnihotri added:

"They are rattled now because they are getting exposed. They are shrinking, they are getting diluted in Jungles, their cadre is getting exposed. People like me are fighting them every single day. Their game plan is exposed. 'Urban Naxalism' is an accepted political ideology".

#IndiaVsMaoists | These Urban Naxals are getting exposed now, people like me are fighting them every day and their cadre is shrinking: Vivek Agnihotri , Filmmaker and Author of Urban Naxals pic.twitter.com/srGgW4xdLb — Republic (@republic) August 28, 2018

Read: Urban Naxals Case: MoS Home Kiren Rijiju Counters Rahul Gandhi On Maoists, Even As Various Courts Loom For The Accused. Full Details Here

Meanwhile, Union minister Kiren Rijiju quoted former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and criticised Rahul Gandhi for 'openly supporting Maoist sympathisers'. The Minister also requested Rahul Gandhi to 'keep national security above politics'.

As Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had declared that Maoists are No.1 threat to India's internal security. Now the Congress president openly supports the front organisations & sympathisers of the

Maoists.

Keep national security above politics — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 29, 2018

This came after Rahul Gandhi said that in the "new India", there was the place for only one NGO — the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

There is only place for one NGO in India and it's called the RSS. Shut down all other NGOs. Jail all activists and shoot those that complain.



Welcome to the new India. #BhimaKoregaon — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 28, 2018

Taking a similar stand, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav also referred to it 'Fascism':

We strongly condemn arrests of human rights activists from various parts of the country.



Anyone who defends human rights, raises concerns about atrocities against poor and condemn authoritarian regime are arrested in RSS’s New India.



Remember, Fascism will not last longer. — Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) August 29, 2018

The CPI(M) has issued a strong statement:

Stop This Repression!

CPIM PolitBuro strongly protests the raids conducted by police authorities on the homes of various civil rights & human rights activists & Left intellectuals like Varavara Rao, @Sudhabharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha.

Read Full Statement at:https://t.co/aJpGicmFUb — CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) August 28, 2018

In June, the arrest of five persons in connection with the Bhima Koregaon caste-clashes had revealed a letter detailing a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that had allegedly been recovered from the laptop of Rona Wilson, one of the five arrested. Meanwhile, another older letter, purportedly part of the correspondence between Maoist leaders, contained a plan to assassinate PM Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP party president Amit Shah.

An investigation by Republic TV has also revealed details of a larger conspiracy including an 'Urban Naxals-Maoists' conduit, an arms angle and terrorist link, and sensational details of an ‘end Modi’ plot.

READ | Six Recent Plots That Expose The Dangerous Urban Naxal Design To Destabilise India