"It will take some time for him to understand…”: Fadnavis Responds to Ajit Pawar’s Critique of Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Batenge To Katenge’ Slogan

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday responded to Ajit Pawar’s criticism of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s controversial slogan, “Batenge To Katenge.” Fadnavis, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), strongly defended the slogan and questioned Pawar's understanding of secularism, accusing him of promoting secular ideologies that he described as “anti-Hindu.”

“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 secularists. He has stayed with people for whom opposing Hindutva is secularism,” said Devendra Fadnavis.

He further remarked that it would take time for Pawar to understand the mood of the public, suggesting that the NCP leader had either misunderstood the sentiment or was deliberately misinterpreting the situation. “It will take some time for him to understand the mood of the public. These people either did not understand the sentiments of the public or did not understand the statement, or they probably wanted to say something else,” Fadnavis said.

Defending the controversial slogan, which was coined by Yogi Adityanath during a campaign rally in Maharashtra, Fadnavis argued that there was nothing wrong with it. He drew attention to the historical context behind the phrase, explaining that divisions in Indian society have historically led to negative consequences. “Look at the history of this country. Jab jab batein hain, tab gulam bane hain (Whenever there were divisions, we became slaves). Whenever this country was divided into castes, states, communities, society became weak, and we became slaves,” Fadnavis said. “The country was also divided, and so were the people. That’s why if we divide, we will be cut. This is the history of this country. And I don’t understand why there is an objection to a statement that says ‘don’t divide.’ What is the point of objecting to this?” he added.

The slogan, "Batenge To Katenge" (If we divide, we will be cut), was coined by Yogi Adityanath during a rally as a call for unity ahead of Maharashtra’s assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also used a similar message with his slogan, "Ek hai toh safe hai" (Unity is safety).

Maharashtra will vote on November 20, with the results to be announced on November 23. The Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, is contesting against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, comprising Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, in the upcoming Maharashtra elections.​