"Statements like 'batenge toh katenge' are disgusting": NCP's Nawab Malik

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 11 : Ajit Pawar-led NCP leader Nawab Malik on Monday strongly condemned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's slogan "batenge toh katenge" (divided we perish), labeling it as "disgusting". Malik expressed concerns that this kind of politics has caused significant damage in Uttar Pradesh and emphasized that politics based on religion is short-lived.
"Statements like 'batenge toh katenge' are disgusting. There can be no benefit from this. This kind of politics has caused a lot of damage in Uttar Pradesh...Even after the construction of the temple, BJP was badly defeated in Uttar Pradesh. So politics based on religion does not last long. We have full faith that politics should be done on the problems of livelihood, clothes and shelter. There should be talk of the development of the people...We want no one should divide the country in the name of Hindu-Muslim...," said Malik.
Malik, who is the NCP candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar remarks come as his party's alliance partner, BJP, increasingly uses this slogan in its campaign for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election in its efforts to consolidate Hindu votes.
Notably, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had given the slogan 'batenge to katenge' while speaking at a campaign rally in Maharashtra. After that, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the slogan 'ek hai toh safe hai'.
Malik termed the upcoming election in the state "a very close contest" and predicted that his party leader Ajit Pawar would emerge as "kingmaker" after the results are declared.
"The way elections are being held in Maharashtra, it is a very close contest. No one can predict what will happen after the results. In 2019, no one had thought that such a government could be formed and in politics, no one is anyone's best friend or enemy, circumstances keep changing between friends and enemies after the results but Ajit Pawar will emerge as the kingmaker," he said.
"I am asking for votes on my name, my work and my thoughts. I am with Ajit Pawar. This is a political adjustment. Accepting someone's opinion is a different thing. Ajit Pawar has clarified that we have political adjustment. We stand by our opinions and after the results, Ajit Pawar ji can become Chandrababu Naidu. He will be the kingmaker," he added.
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.