Ajit Pawar says ‘batenge toh katenge’ not acceptable in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: BJP’s alliance partner Ajit Pawar has expressed displeasure over the saffron party’s slogan “Batenge toh katenge” in the ongoing campaign for the Vidhan Sabha polls in Maharashtra.

“Maharashtra works on the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shahu. I have said this several times. Such slogans will not work in Maharashtra. This may work in UP, Jharkhand or some other places,” Mr. Pawar said.

“The life and teachings of Shivaji Maharaj are inclusive and have united all communities and classes. People from other states often come to Maharashtra and speak their mind but such remarks are not liked by the people here and are unacceptable,” he added.

The slogan, first introduced by UP chief minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath in the wake of anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, has become a major part of the BJP’s campaigning in Maharashtra. As BJP’s star campaigner in the polls, Yogi has reiterated the slogan during his rallies and even his posters with the remarks have come up in Maharashtra.

Pawar, who is set to contest the elections from Baramati, emphasised that the focus in Maharashtra should be on development. “We should be concentrating on ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas,’ not divisive politics,” he said distancing himself from BJP’s polarising narrative assuring the state is committed to communal harmony.

According to political observers, Mr. Pawar’s perceived discomfort over the UP CM’s remarks stems from the point that the hardline Hindutva approach of his allies – the BJP and the CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena – may alienate the NCP’s ‘secular’ votes, especially from the Muslim community.

Despite joining hands with the BJP, Ajit Pawar has time and again reiterated that his party will not abandon its secular ideology and will continue to work for the welfare of minorities. “The ideologies of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jotiba Phule, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar are the core of our party and we will not deviate from these ideologies, even if it means paying a hefty price for it,” he had said while addressing his party’s national executive meeting in Mumbai few months back.