Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during an election rally in Maharashtra, referencing his slogan "batenge, toh katengey." Without directly naming Adityanath, Kharge took a swipe at political leaders who, he said, "live in the guise of sadhus" and engage in politics while wearing saffron robes.
Kharge said, "Many leaders live in the guise of sadhus and have now become politicians. Some have even become chief ministers. They wear 'gerua' clothes and have no hair on their heads...I would say to the BJP, either wear white clothes or if you are a sanyasi, wear 'gerua' clothes, but then get out of politics."
He accused Adityanath of promoting divisive rhetoric with his calls for Hindu unity. "On the one hand, you wear 'gerua' clothes and on the other hand, you say 'batoge toh katogey'. They are spreading hatred among the people and trying to divide them," Kharge added.
The remarks drew sharp responses from BJP leaders, with Union Minister Piyush Goyal calling them "very unfortunate." Defending Adityanath, Goyal stated, "This should be a matter of personal choice for every individual. A lot of derogatory comments have been made about Yogi Adityanath's attire and his appearance. They say that if he wants to remain the Chief Minister, he should abandon his saffron robes, wear white clothes, and enter politics; otherwise, he should leave politics."
Goyal highlighted Adityanath’s commitment to public service, saying, "It is very unfortunate that a person who has dedicated his entire life to serving society, who spent his childhood with the Nath sect, has renounced worldly pleasures, and entered politics intending to serve society, is being subjected to such criticism. In his order, people of all religions are welcomed. When I visited the Gorakhnath Math myself, I saw people from different religions there, which I think shows his inclusiveness."
Emphasising the freedom of individual choice in India, Goyal said, "We have freedom of dressing in this country."
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also condemned Kharge's remarks, reiterating BJP's stance on impartial governance. "The people who shed tears in the Batla House case, where a terrorist was dead. Sonia Gandhi shed tears for that terrorist. BJP is for justice for all and appeasement to none. This is our policy always and because they are seeing the bad dream of their defeat, they are talking all such nonsense," Joshi said.