As Hindutva card pays off, Fadnavis hails BJP triumph with ‘Ek hain to safe hain’ slogan
It all started with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath kicking off his campaign in Maharashtra with ‘batenge toh katenge’ slogan
The slogan, 'Ek hain to safe hain', was a staple of all speeches of PM Modi during the Maharashtra Assembly elections campaign. | File photo
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday (November 23) hailed the performance of the ruling Mahayuti in the Assembly elections and credited it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the latter's ‘Ek hai toh safe hai’ slogan.
Leading from Nagpur South West Assembly seat by a margin of 19,437 seats, Fadnavis took to social media platform X, stating, “Ek hain toh safe hain. Modi hain toh mumkin hain.” The slogan was a staple of all speeches of Modi during the campaign. This was Fadnavis’ first reaction to the BJP-led alliance’s massive victory in Maharashtra.
Also read: ‘Batenge toh katenge’ slogan divides Mahayuti days ahead of Maharashtra polls
His remarks have put the spotlight on the polarising campaign that the BJP ran all through the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which seems to have delivered for the saffron party and its allies. It all started with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath kicking off his campaign in Maharashtra with ‘batenge toh katenge’ slogan. While the BJP tried to project it as a call for unity, the Opposition quickly accused it of having communal undertones.
Even the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, a key constituent of Mahayuti, expressed its reservation on the issue, saying, “People of Maharashtra don’t like it, as they have always strived for communal harmony.” The divisive slogan didn’t go down well even among a section of BJP leaders like Pankaja Munde and Ashok Chavan.
Also read: Kharge on 'Ek Hai to Safe Hai' slogan: India faces threat from RSS, Modi, Shah
Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced a more conciliatory call for unity, “Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai” (United we are safe). This phrase, which Modi used throughout his campaign, sought to provide a positive spin to the BJP’s message of unity while flaying Congress for allegedly creating divisions within society. The prime minister accused Congress of promoting caste-based politics, particularly its push for a national caste census.
Later, Fadnavis too resorted to a campaign on these lines when he called for a “dharma-yudh” of votes to counter an alleged appeal by an Islamic scholar for a ‘vote jihad’ against the Mahayuti government. This prompted a strong reaction from the Shiv Sena (UBT) as party chief Uddhav Thackeray asked the Election Commission whether the call for ‘dharma-yudh’ fits in its Model Code of Conduct.