Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has publicly snubbed his alliance partner Ajit Pawar for speaking against the BJP’s ‘batenge to katenge' slogan. Saying it will take some time for the NCP (AP) leader to under the mood of the public, Fadnavis added Ajit Pawar’s understanding was still influenced by his former allies.
#WATCH | On being asked if he aspires to be the CM, NCP leader & Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar says, "Right now, nothing has to be said on this as 20th November nears. We want to focus on how Mahayuti will cross 175 (seats)...Later, all in Mahayuti will decide who will be the… pic.twitter.com/G8aDFSsS2I
— ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2024
In an interview with ANI, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar stayed with anti-Hindu allies for a long time and it will take time for him to understand. “For decades, Ajit Pawar has stayed with such ideologies which are secular and anti-Hindu. There is no real secularism amongst those who call themselves as secularists. He has stayed with people for whom opposing Hindutva is secularism. There is no real secularism among those who call themselves secular," Fadnavis told ANI.
Fadnavis said these people either did not understand the slogan or they probably wanted to say something else. The BJP leader said he did not find anything wrong with the slogan coined by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during rallies in Maharashtra.
The Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) leader had categorically dismissed Adityanath’s slogan saying it did not reflect Maharashtra’s politics. “We all opposed it. Not just my NCP leaders and I, but even Pankaja Munde and [Poonam] Mahajan [opposed]," Pawar told ANI.
Referring to Yogi Adityanath, Pawar said, "Some other state's chief minister comes and issues a call of 'batenge to katenge'... We told him that this is not UP. This might work in the North, but not in Maharashtra. We abide by the principles of Ambedkar,” ANI quoted him saying.
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BJP leader and former minister Pankaja Munde had also opposed the slogan. "Frankly speaking, my politics is different. I won't support it just because I belong to the BJP. My belief is we should work on development. There is no need for such an issue in Maharashtra," Pankaja had said.
On Thursday, Fadnavis those opposing the slogan, including Ashok Chavan and Pankaja Munde, have failed to understand “core” meaning. "I believe they have not understood the core message of the slogan. 'Batenge to katenge' means everyone has to stick together. The Prime Minister has succinctly said 'ek hai to safe hai',” PTI reported quoting Fadnavis. The deputy CM added the slogan is also against the appeasement politics of Congress.
