Mumbai: As the campaign for the Maharashtra assembly elections heats up, the “Batenge Toh Katenge (Division If Destruction)” slogan used by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) star campaigner and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during rallies has sparked major controversy in the state.
It elicited strong reactions from the opposition while also causing confusion and discomfort within the BJP and its partners in Maharashtra's Mahayuti coalition.
PM Modi's Calming Words: ‘Ek Hai To Safe Hai’
On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led his last campaign meeting in Maharashtra. It was held at the Shivaji Park ground in Mumbai.
However, instead of uttering the words “Batenge toh Katenge," he reiterated the slogan “Ek hai to seif hai” (We are safe together).
BJP leader and MP Ashok Chavan also tried to calm the sentiments. “Even though I am in the BJP, I am a secular Hindu. I always believe in my work. I have never separated myself from Hinduism. BJP also has the same ideology that we are Hindus. But despite being secular in BJP, some people believe in Hinduism,” he said.
Absence Of Ajit Pawar Triggers Concern
On the other hand, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Ajit Pawar said, "I am not supporting Batenge to Katenge style statements. It will not work in Maharashtra. This may work in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, or some other places.”
“Maharashtra is a state of saints, lovers of Shiva, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and Babasaheb Ambedkar. Their teachings are in our blood, and we will continue on the same path,” he said.
Meanwhile, his absence has become a topic of discussion during PM Modi's last campaign meeting in the state at Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Thursday evening.
BJP MLA Pankaja Munde Reacts
Pankaja Munde, a BJP MLA, remarked that there was no need for chants like 'Batenge to Katenge' in Maharashtra. "I won't support it. Development is the true issue, and I believe in it. It is the role of leaders to create a welcoming atmosphere for everybody," she stated.
However, she denied that the BJP expressed any divisive sentiments. “We have not issued such a statement, but what has appeared in the print media? We will not comment on it,” she stated.
'Answer To Politics Of Appeasement'
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also reacted to the issue following the alleged differences within the grand alliance.
“Batenge Toh Katenge slogan is a response to Maha Vikas Aghadi's election campaign. It is an answer to MVA’s politics of appeasement,” he said.
“During the Lok Sabha elections, posters were put up at places of worship calling for vote jihad. They appealed to people to vote for a particular party. So which one is this?" Secularism? But the real meaning of this slogan is that we all want to live together. It means we are safe if we are together. It doesn't mean that,” Fadnavis said.
'Mahayuti Alliance In Danger’
Reacting to the row over Adityanath’s slogan, political analyst Jayant Mainkar said, “During the last Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to NCP President (SP, Sharad Pawar) as a ‘wandering soul’. This is the reason why he has avoided directly criticising Sharad Pawar in the Lok Sabha elections.”
“Adityanath's 'Batenge to Katenge' slogan is going to be dangerous for the Mahayuti alliance this year as differences have arisen over the statement,” Mainkar said.
