As the Maharashtra Assembly elections approach, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ramped up its campaign with the slogan ‘batenge toh katenge’ (If divided, we perish), aimed at invoking Hindu unity. However, Ajit Pawar, a prominent leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and an alliance partner of BJP in Mahayuti, has voiced strong opposition to the slogan, asserting it will not resonate with the people of Maharashtra.

Ajit Pawar’s Response to BJP’s Campaign Slogan

Maharashtra Deputy CM, Ajit Pawar stated that he did not support the slogan, which has been echoed by BJP leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra leader Devendra Fadnavis.

“I have said this several times. It will not work in Maharashtra. This may work in UP, Jharkhand, or some other places,” Pawar told India Today.

The slogan, first introduced by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath in the wake of anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, has become a central element of the BJP’s campaigning in Maharashtra.

Ajit Pawar, who is set to contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024 from Baramati, emphasised that the focus in Maharashtra should be on development. “We should be concentrating on ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’, not divisive politics,” Pawar told India Today, distancing himself from BJP’s polarising narrative.

‘Batenge toh katenge’ faces backlash

The BJP’s slogan has faced criticism not only from Ajit Pawar but also from the opposition, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accusing the BJP of promoting divisive politics. Congress, in particular, has condemned the slogan as an attempt to pit one religion against another.

Ajit Pawar, a seven-time MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister, pointed out that Maharashtra’s political culture is shaped by figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, and Mahatma Phule, who stood for unity and social harmony. “You cannot compare Maharashtra with other states; the people of Maharashtra do not like this,” Pawar said in response to CM Adityanath’s rally.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: A New Battle

This year’s Maharashtra Assembly elections, scheduled for November 20, will see the Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the BJP, Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde), and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, face off against the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which includes Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and Congress.

The elections have become even more significant due to the split within regional parties, with Ajit Pawar and his uncle, Sharad Pawar, leading separate factions of the NCP.

For Ajit Pawar, this election is personal as he faces his uncle’s faction and the larger challenge of establishing his leadership credentials. Despite the recent split, Ajit Pawar has maintained that his decision to part ways with Sharad Pawar was not a mistake. “I did not leave him. All the MLAs wrote to him and he gave his permission,” Ajit Pawar told Hindu.

The Maharashtra Assembly election, marking the first since the vertical split of the Shiv Sena and NCP, is set to be a decisive moment for the state’s political future. Ajit Pawar’s NCP will contest 56 of the 288 constituencies, and the results, to be counted on November 23, will determine which faction emerges dominant.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lambasted the Congress on Wednesday, accusing the grand old party of dividing Hindus to “make political gains”. He was speaking after virtually laying the foundation stone of various development projects in Maharashtra worth over ₹7,600 crore.

PM Modi said the Congress fights elections “completely on communal and casteist lines”. He added, “Dividing the Hindu society and making it their winning formula is the basis of Congress’s politics.” 

“The Congress wants to keep the Hindu society on fire by any means so that it can continue to make political gains out of it. Wherever elections are held in India, the Congress applies this formula,” PM Modi added.

The prime minister said, “The policy of the Congress is to make one caste of Hindus fight against another caste. The Congress knows that the more Hindus get divided, the more it will benefit.”

PM Modi also accused the Congress of “suppressing the Indian tradition of ‘Sarvajan Hitaye – Sarvajan Sukhaye'” and the “Sanatan tradition”.

‘Vote for Mahayuti’

PM Modi further lauded the BJP’s historic win in the Haryana Assembly Elections 2024. “The results of Haryana and J&K elections were declared…After completing two terms, getting elected for the third term in Haryana is historic,” he said.

Urging people to vote for the Mahayuti alliance of BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra in the upcoming assembly polls, PM Modi said, “The Congress is bent on destroying the country. We all have to be aware and cautious. I am sure that the people of Maharashtra will give a befitting reply to all these forces bent on destroying the society.”

“The people of Maharashtra have to unite and vote for the BJP-Mahayuti government so that the development of the state and the country can be ensured…,” PM Modi said.

“The BJP has won Haryana assembly polls…in Maharashtra, we have to get a bigger victory,” PM Modi said. The BJP won 48 of the total 90 seats in the Haryana Assembly elections. The Congress won 37 seats.