UP Politics: Keshav Prasad Maurya Backs PM Modi, Distances Himself from Yogi's 'Batoge To Katoge'

The famous slogan "Batoge to Katoge" by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has now taken a new twist, with questions emerging about whether the BJP is distancing itself from the slogan. This shift in stance comes after BJP’s allies, including NCP leader Ajit Pawar and BJP leader Pankaja Munde, had already voiced their opinions. The latest challenge to the slogan comes from within Yogi’s own team, with Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya stating in a TV interview that he didn’t know the context behind the slogan, adding that the only slogan the party follows is "Ek Rahenge to Safe Rahenge" (We are safe if we stay united). Maurya’s comments were quickly seized upon by the opposition, which claimed that even the BJP’s own leaders are distancing themselves from the slogan, putting the party in a difficult situation. Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav criticized the BJP, suggesting that the party’s efforts to create a certain narrative had failed, especially as leaders from within the BJP, like Ajit Pawar, spoke against the slogan. She called such statements detrimental to democracy. In response to the growing controversy, Maurya later clarified that the question of the slogan’s context should be directed at the Chief Minister, and further implied that the media was attempting to create division within the party. He reiterated that the BJP’s official slogan is "Ek Hai to Safe Hai" (Unity keeps us safe). Yogi’s "Batoge to Katoge" slogan was first introduced on August 26 in Agra, while Prime Minister Modi had coined "Ek Hai to Safe Hai" during his visit to Gujarat on October 31. The opposition has accused the BJP of contradictions between the slogans of its top leaders, Modi and Yogi.