Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said so far BJP's double engine govts in Delhi and Lucknow were on a collision course and now their slogans too have started colliding.
Akhilesh's statement was in apparent reference to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's "Batenge toh Katenge" (divided, we perish) slogan that was coined amid much fanfare but has been rejected by BJP allies in Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too came up with his unity appeal of "Ek Rahenge to Safe Rahenge" (United, we will remain safe) while addressing a poll rally in Jharkhand's Gumla.
Speaking at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in Delhi, Yadv said not only the common man but people within the BJP have started rejecting these slogans that have negative connotations.
In Maharashtra, the BJP and its allies are not on the same page over the "Batenge toh Katenge" jibe. While Ajit Pawar led NCP – an ally of the BJP in Maharashtra – has opposed the slogan, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday strongly endorsed Yogi's war cry as a message of unity.
"… Jo nara kabhi angrezon ne diya tha … divide and rule … who Hindi mein bol rahe hain, banton ya kato (British gave the ‘divide and rule' slogan … the same slogan is being given in Hindi)," Akhilesh said.
He said negativity was the reason behind BJP's fall in UP tally in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as people were no longer ready to accept this. He said BJP lost Ayodhya because of the negative thinking of the UP chief minister and the party.
Akhilesh said presently he was busy trying to clean "pollution in politics" with the help of PDA. Akhilesh had coined PDA to unite Pichde (Backward classes), Dalits and Alpsankhyak (Minorities) in the run up to the 2024 LS polls and the move had paid rich electoral dividends to SP which bagged 37 seats in the elections – the highest ever tally of the party in UP in parliamentary elections.
"I am now cleaning up the pollution that has spread in politics. I have started this from UP. I am cleaning up the pollution that the BJP has given with its slogan. These people (BJP) are against tribals, minorities and half the population. These people are negative, and this is the reason why in this election our PDA prevailed over their NDA," he said.
He claimed that INDIA bloc would have won 55 to 60 seats in the Lok Sabha polls in UP had there not been rigging in the elections.
"This time the public had made up its mind to vote against BJP," he said adding that the BJP will be defeated on all 9 assembly seats where bypolls will be held on Nov 20.
"PDA is a slogan for positive politics, togetherness and it is about giving equal rights and respect to the people of the country," he added.
Akhilesh said the BJP too was aware of its defeat because of which the party deferred the bypoll for Milkipur assembly seat in Ayodhya. BJP was afraid of being defeated in Ayodhya again, he said.