Mumbai: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of “Ek hai to safe hai” (If we are united, we are safe). Earlier, he had opposed UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s slogan “Batenge to Katenge” stating that the people of Maharashtra do not accept such a slogan.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to consolidate the Hindu community, particularly SCs, STs and OBCs, by giving a poll pitch of the “Ek hai to safe hai” slogan. In addition to this, the saffron party has been wooing the Hindu community by promising to bring a stringent anti-conversion law in Maharashtra.
Ajit Pawar, who is national president of NCP, said that there is nothing wrong in the Prime Minister’s slogan, which wants to unite the country. “If the country is united, it is safe. There is nothing wrong with it,” the deputy chief minister said.
Disapproving Yogi Adityanath’s slogan, the NCP national president said that the remark ‘Batenge to Katenge’ is wrong as Maharashtra does not like such slogans. “I think there is no point using the words Batega and Katenga in Maharashtra as people do not think in such a manner. The people of UP, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar may have different mindset,” he said.
According to Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra is the state of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Shivaji Maharaj. The people of Maharashtra are different as they think differently. “If anyone leaves the ideology of Shahu, Shivaji, Phule and Ambedkar, then Maharashtra did not spare them,” he said.
The BJP is contesting election in Maharashtra Assembly in an alliance with chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP as ‘Mahayuti’ against MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) — an alliance of Congress, Sharad Pawar led NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena (UBT). Interestingly, Eknath Shinde-led Sena has been endorsing the slogan of BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, while the NCP openly opposed it.
Ajit Pawar, who is contesting the Assembly election from the Baramati seat against his nephew Yugendra, said that his mother appealed to Sharad Pawar to avoid the fight within the family. “I made my wife contest the Lok Sabha election against Supriya Sule. Pawar saheb was hurt by that. He is a big leader. I do not want to speak about it. But despite messages from mother, he decided to field Yugendra against me,” he said.
Talking about his nephew, the Maharashtra DCM said, “Yugendra has no interest in politics.....he does not like to come to Baramati. He likes to stay abroad.”
