The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra is not on the same page on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's 'Batenge toh Katenge' clarion call. Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar took on Yogi at a rally, saying that this would not work in the state.
"We stand with you. Why do you worry? If anyone says anything, we do not support it. Recently, someone said that 'Batenge toh Katenge', we will not tolerate this type of talk at all. This might be working in North but these things will not work at all in Maharashtra," the Deputy CM said.
He further said that Maharashtra is a land of seers and Dr BR Ambedkar and that the state runs on their principles. Ajit Pawar, however, is not the only one unsettled by the clarion call.
BJP MLC and former Union Minister Gopinath Munde's daughter Pankaja Munde said in a recent interview that her politics is different while condemning the slogan given by the Uttar Pradesh CM.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Munde said that she believes the BJP should focus on development alone and there is no need to bring such issues to Maharashtra.
"Frankly, my politics is different. I won't support it just because I belong to the same party. My belief is that we should work on development alone. A leader's job is to make every living person on this land their own. Therefore, we need not bring any such topic to Maharashtra."
She added that Yogi gave the slogan in an entirely different context than how it is being used in Maharashtra. Yogi issued the clarion call in August while calling for the unity of Hindus in Bangladesh amid violence against Hindus.
"Modiji has given justice to everyone. He did not see caste or religion when he gave rations, housing or cylinders to people."
Notably, Hindutva and identity politics has been at the centre of the BJP's Maharashtra campaign moreso due to the electoral success it achieved in Haryana.
The Uttar Pradesh CM also repeated the message at an election rally in Maharashtra.
At an election rally in Jharkhand, Yogi defended the slogan and accused the opposition of dividing people along caste and religious lines. Echoing Yogi's clarion call, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave another call to unite Hindus -- Ek Hain toh Safe Hain.