NEW DELHI: After Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar, now Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Ashok Chavan and Pankaja Munde have rejected Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘batenge toh katenge’ slogan.
BJP MP and former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan disapproved the slogan stating it lacked appropriateness and relevance.
“There is no relevance of this (slogan). Slogans are given at election time. This particular slogan is not in good taste and I don’t think people will appreciate it. Personally speaking, I am not in favour of such slogans,” Chavan told news agency PTI.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has been using the slogan ‘batenge to katenge’ during his campaign rallies before the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections.
Chavan also dismissed the significance of “vote jihad – dharma yuddha” rhetoric, emphasising that the BJP and ruling Mahayuti’s primary focus remains on national and Maharashtra’s development.
Speaking at Ardhapur in Nanded during his Mahayuti election campaign, the BJP leader further added, “Every political functionary has to take a decision after a lot of thinking. We also have to see that nobody’s sentiments are hurt.”
Previously, Maharashtra deputy chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had stated that “vote jihad” should be countered by “dharma-yuddha” of vote.
Another BJP leader Pankaja Munde also rejected UP CM’s ‘batenge’ remark saying it differes from her politics.
In recent interviews, Munde said, “Frankly, my politics is different. I won’t support it just because I am of that party. My belief is that we should work on development alone. A leader’s job is to make every living person on this land as our own. Therefore, we need not bring any such topic to Maharashtra.”
Meanwhile, Maharashtra deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, who is an ally of BJP in Mahayuti, has also voiced opposition to UP CM’s slogan.
“The remark ‘batenge toh katenge’ is inappropriate. People’s thinking in UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh is different, but such statements don’t work here. Using such words holds no significance in Maharashtra, in my opinion. Maharashtra is the state of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Shivaji Maharaj. People of Maharashtra are different, and they think differently. If anyone leaves the ideology of Shahu, Shivaji, Phule and Ambedkar, then Maharashtra will not spare them,” Ajit Pawar had told PTI.