Ajit Pawar on ally BJP’s ‘batenge toh katenge’ pitch: Won’t work in Maharashtra

As the BJP intensifies its Maharashtra Assembly election campaign with the slogan ‘batenge toh katenge’ (If divided, we perish), Ajit Pawar, leader of its alliance partner NCP, voiced his opposition to this narrative. He said that the slogan, which calls for Hindu unity, will not resonate in Maharashtra and emphasised that the focus should instead be on development.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, when asked about the ‘batenge toh katenge’ remarks, Ajit Pawar asserted, “I am not supporting it. I have said this several times. It will not work in Maharashtra. This may work in UP, Jharkhand, or some other places”.
The slogan, first introduced by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in reference to anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh and later endorsed by the RSS and many BJP leaders, became a central campaign line for the BJP in Maharashtra. Adityanath repeated it at a poll rally in Maharashtra.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis also echoed the remark at a recent poll rally. In Dhule, PM Modi said, “We will remain safe if we remain united”.
He emphasised that the focus should be on “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas,” adding that politics in Maharashtra is different.

Pawar expressed his opposition to using the slogan earlier as well. Commenting after Yogi Adityanath’s rally last week, he said the people of Maharashtra have always strived to maintain communal harmony.
“Maharashtra belongs to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, and Mahatma Phule. You cannot compare Maharashtra with other states; the people of Maharashtra do not like this,” Pawar told reporters when asked about Adityanath’s remarks.
The Congress slammed the slogan, calling it divisive politics. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, citing it, accused the BJP of pitting one religion against another.
Maharashtra will vote in a single phase on November 20, where the Mahayuti alliance–comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP–will face off against the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which includes Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and the Congress. The vote counting will take place three days later, on November 23.