Devendra Fadnavis on Ajit Pawar's reply to ‘Batenge’ slogan; ‘Will take time’

The ‘Batenge To Katenge’ slogan was given by UP CM Yogi Adityanath while speaking at a campaign rally in Maharashtra

As the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra remains divided over Yogi Adityanath's ‘Batenge To Katenge' slogan, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday responded to Ajit Pawar's criticism of the slogan. 

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde (centre) and his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.(ANI)

"For decades, Ajit Pawar has stayed with such ideologies which are secular and anti-Hindu. There is no real secularism amongst those who call themselves as secularists. He has stayed with people for whom opposing Hindutva is secularism. There is no real secularism among those who call themselves secular," Fadnavis told ANI.

"It will take some time for him to understand the mood of the public. These people either did not understand the sentiments of the public or did not understand the statement or they probably wanted to say something else," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said about Pawar, also a deputy chief minister in the Eknath Shinde government.

‘Nothing wrong in Yogi Adityanath's slogan': Fadnavis

Defending the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's slogan, Fadnavis said,"I don't see anything wrong in Yogi ji's slogans. Look at the history of this country. Jab Jab bate hai tab gulam bane hai. Whenever this country was divided into castes, states, divided into communities society we became slaves."

"The country was also divided, and so were the people. That's why if we divide, we will be cut. This is the history of this country. And I don't understand that if someone says don't divide, then what is the point of objecting to this?" he added.

The slogan was given by CM Yogi while speaking at a campaign rally in Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the slogan 'ek hai toh safe hai'.

The Mahayuti alliance comprises the Bhartaiya Janata Party (BJP) the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

It is up against Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which comprises of Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Maharashtra will go to polls on November 20 with votes being counted on November 23.