Maharashtra Polls: 'Batenge, Katenge' Vs 'Ek Hai Safe Hai' — Kharge Asks BJP’s Pick Between Modi & Yogi Remarks
Congress's Mallikarjun Kharge hit back at the BJP over Yogi Adityanath's 'batenge toh katenge' slogan and accused the party of dividing the people and blaming others.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday countered Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s 'batenge toh katenge' slogan, asserting that several leaders from his party have laid down their lives to unite the country. He said that those who want the country to stay united will never such divisive remarks and asked the BJP to first decide between Yogi Adityanath's slogan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message of unity 'Ek hain, toh safe hain'.
Addressing a press conference in Maharashtra's Nagpur, Kharge also hit back at the saffron party for slamming his party and Rahul Gandhi over the red-covered copy of the Constitution which he carries with himself during rallies. He then showed a picture of PM Modi gifting a similar copy to former president Ramnath Kovind.
The Congress president accused the RSS and BJP of provoking people to garner votes. Citing a newspaper article, Kharge further stated he read that RSS agreed with UP CM's slogan 'batenge toh katenge' (if divided, we perish).
"First, you decide between yourselves whose slogan is to be followed – Yogi ji’s or Modi ji’s," he said, adding, "BJP leaders give inciting speeches and speak lies and divert people’s attention from core issues."
On Friday, PM Modi, while addressing a campaign rally in the Maharashtra northern district of Dhule, had said: "Remember, ‘Ek hain, toh safe hain” (we are safe if we are united)". PM Modi had pitched for unity among SCs, STs and OBCs during the rally.
Stressing that several Congress leaders have sacrificed their lives to unite the country, Kharge trained guns at the BJP, saying, "You only divide but blame others. You say ‘batenge toh katenge’. Those who want the country to remain united will never pass such divisive slogans."
BJP ही लोगों को बांटती और काटती है।
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 9, 2024
यह देश संविधान से चलता है, लेकिन ये लोग इसे मनुस्मृति से चलाना चाहते हैं।
: कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्री @kharge
📍 अमरावती, महाराष्ट्र pic.twitter.com/LK38A7vSpr
Kharge Reacts To Allegations On Rahul Gandhi Over Red-Covered Constitution
The Congress chief indirectly took a jibe at Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who hail from Nagpur, saying that two big leaders from Vidarbha region did not stop big projects from being shifted to Gujarat as they were concerned about "saving their own posts and not worried about people’s interest".
Kharge claimed of an MVA wave in Vidarbha, which elects 62 of the 288 MLAs in the state, expressing confidence that the alliance comprising Congress, NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT) will win the Assembly polls.
The senior Congress leader also dismissed the allegation levelled against the Congress by the BJP that it supports "urban Naxals", especially when Rahul Gandhi constantly talks about saving the Constitution.
Referring to Fadnavis’s recent allegations that Rahul Gandhi was surrounded and influenced by anarchists, he asked if it is a "crime to flaunt a copy of the Constitution with a red cover." Gandhi was criticised by the Maharashtra Deputy CM Fadnavis for using a copy of the Constitution with a red cover, which is often associated with the Marxist or communist ideology in politics.
At the press conference, Kharge then showed a picture of PM Modi gifting a similar copy to Ramnath Kovind, alleging that the PM "tells lies and tells them loudly".
"Was it not a lie of his that he would bring black money back stashed abroad? He also lied about providing jobs and doubling farmers’ income and demonetisation. Did he not tell all these," he asked.
Kharge also slammed the saffron party for alleging that Congress failed to implement its poll guarantees in the states where it rules, particularly in his home state Karnataka. He further claimed that the BJP is copying the welfare schemes of Congress and implementing them.
He also asked the BJP to engage in a debate with the Congress and tell what work its government carried out in the last 11 years. "We will tell you about the work we have done in 55 years," he said, stressing that Maharashtra needs government what will bring it back on the path of growth and development. "MVA will win with full majority and our opponents won’t be able to divide it," he added.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.
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