4 days Ago By Arun Nair
New Delhi: The intense election campaign for Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections witnessed political parties coming out with slogans with high recall value which were repeated at high decibels during campaign rallies in both the states. From 'Batenge toh katenge' to 'Ek hai toh safe hai', leaders of various political parties tried to outdo the other as they campaigned for the elections. Maharashtra, with 288 assembly seats, is voting in a single phase on November 20 and Jharkhand will vote in two phases for 81 seats in the state assembly.
'Batenge toh katenge' The crisp 'batenge toh katenge' (divided we perish) slogan coined by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister features at the top of this list. This three-word slogan, used by Adityanath as a warcry for Hindus to unite amid atrocities being faced by the community in Bangladesh, became the talking point in the political landscape. Yogi Adityanath, who was the BJP star campaigner, used the slogan to target Congress, Uddhav Thackeray's Sena, Sharad Pawar's NCP in Maharastra, and also n Jharkhand to attack Hemant Soren-led JMM.
Though the opposition hit back, accusing the BJP of trying to divide the society, several BJP leaders countered it saying the slogan is a call for unity. The 'batenge' slogan, however, ended up dividing the BJP and Mahayuti alliance as some prominent leaders, including Ajit Pawar, rejected Yogi Adityanath's call. 'Ek hai toh safe hai' Prime Minister Narendra Modi came up with 'Ek hai toh safe hai' (United we are safe), trying to give a positive spin to UP CM's 'batenge, katenge' narrative.
PM Modi relied on the 'ek hai' warcry to attack Congress of creating a caste divide in the country. PM claimed that the Congress call for a national caste census was an attempt to divide the society by pitting the subgroups of the Other Backward Class (OBC) against each other. PM Modi used the slogan during rallies in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
'Daroge toh maroge' As a counter to 'batenge' call, Congress came up with 'daroge toh maroge' (Will die if you get scared) during the elections. The slogan, however, failed to woo the public. The slogan was used by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge while campaigning in Jharkhand.
"Yogi-ji visited here a few days ago. He is the head of a ‘math’ and wears a dress donned by sadhus. But sadhus must be compassionate and unite people to safeguard humanity.
However, he said, ‘Batoge toh katoge’. You must now understand that ‘daroge toh maroge’," he said. 'Roti, beti aur mati' Trying to strike a chord with tribal population in Jharkhand, BJP came up with 'roti, beti, aur mati' (food, daughter and land) to target the Hemant Soren government.
The BJP used this slogan to accuse JMM and Congress of allowing infiltrators in the state for votes. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Elections and around the world..
