Dhirendra Shastri Backs ‘Batoge Toh Katoge’ Slogan, Urges More Childbirths For ‘Hindu Rashtra’

Dhirendra Shastri, in response to Yogi Adityanath's slogan "Bantoge toh Katoge", emphasised the need for Hindu unity. He also urged Hindus to increase their population by focusing on more childbirths.

Pandit Dhirendra Shastri, the peethadhishwar of Bageshwar Dham, has responded to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's slogan "Bantoge toh Katoge" ("If you get divided, you will perish"), emphasising the need for unity among Hindus across India. He stated, "We must unite all Hindus. If you get divided, you will surely perish. If Hindus stay together, they will be reminded of their ancestors. They were demanding Gazwa-e-Hind, but when we asked for Bhagwa-e-Hind, they had a problem."

To further his call for Hindu unity, Shastri announced a pilgrimage starting on November 21, aimed at uniting Hindus nationwide.

During a visit to the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati on Saturday, November 2, 2024, Shastri remarked on the historical presence of caste, noting, "Caste existed even in ancient times, but we were not divided then. There are many castes among Muslims, but when it comes to religion, they are just Muslims. Hindus, on the other hand, continue to divide based on caste. We need to identify ourselves as Sanatani and Hindus."

In addition, Shastri urged Hindus to increase their population, making contentious remarks hinting at other religious groups, "Hindus have been told that 'two children are enough', but their whole cricket team is being born. Their numbers are increasing while ours are decreasing. If two children are enough, then let it be the same for everyone. If they have twelve, we should have fourteen children. There should be four (children) for a Hindu rashtra (Hindu nation)."

Shastri's pilgrimage will cover 160 kilometres, starting from Bageshwar Dham and concluding at Orchha Dham on November 29. He intends to meet thousands of fellow Sanatanis along the way, calling for a united Hindu community.

The remarks come as the 'Bantoge toh Katoge' slogan by Yogi Adityanath has garnered support from the RSS as well as his BJP colleagues while the Opposition has slammed it.

Akhilesh Yadav Slams 'Bantoge Toh Katoge' As Worst Slogan In India's History

In a recent summit organised by ABP News in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav commented on the slogan remarking, "In the history of our country and its politics, no one has given a slogan worse than this. Their slogan shows that they are moving downwards, while the PDA is rising upwards."

PDA is Samajwadi Party's (SP) formation representing the 'pichre' (backward classes), Dalit, and 'alpashankhak' (minority).

"With this slogan, the [Yogi Adityanath] government has shown that it is weak and cannot protect the people," Akhilesh Yadav said.

Taking a swipe at Yogi  Adityanath, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the slogan was delivered by the most suitable candidate for the BJP. "The slogan was prepared in a lab and then was sent to the most suitable leader to disseminate. Now the slogan is being spread in many places. This is being done to hide the failures of the government," he commented.

The 'batenge toh katenge' slogan was delivered by Yogi Adityanath in Agra with reference to the Bangladesh riots. The slogan was also raised in Haryana before the assembly polls this year.