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CM Yogi Adityanath said that he believes the message of Maha Kumbh is also that the country will remain one only through unity. If the country remains united, the country will remain safe, he added.
CM Yogi Adityanath said if there is security of unity, prosperity will come automatically.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s “batoge toh katoge” (If you divide, you will be destroyed) slogan during Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections last year had raised some eyebrows. Months later, in an exclusive interview to Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi at the Maha Kumbh Mela, the CM explained the meaning of the slogan and how he coined it.
The slogan, a call apparently to Hindus to stay united, had sparked a controversy, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claiming that the BJP had distanced itself from the slogan. Ajit Pawar — an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra — openly disagreed with the chief minister, and said that development cannot happen by creating such differences among each other.
Speaking to Network18 on the controversy, Yogi Adityanath recalled his trip to Agra where he unveiled the statue of Durgadas Rathore, the Rathore Rajput general of the kingdom of Marwar.
“During Haryana elections, I got the opportunity to go to Mathura. I stayed there for a night, and next day went to Agra to unveil the statue of Durgadas Rathore. In the medieval period, Durgadas Rathore was a very valiant general of the Jodhpur king,” CM Yogi said.
The Story Behind CM Yogi’s ‘Batoge Toh Katoge’ Slogan
“According to the tale, when Aurangzeb could not defeat Maharaja Jaswant Singh, the king of Jodhpur, he made a pact with him. Aurangzeb asked them to attack the Afghanis and assured support from behind. When Jaswant Singh ji went to attack the Afghans, Aurangzeb — instead of helping the king as promised — attacked the Raja by deceit. And Raja Jaswant Singh was martyred in that war,” Yogi Adityanath narrated.
“His son Ajit Singh was with him. The queen was also with him. When General Durgadas Rathore saw that after killing the Raja, Aurangzeb’s army was planning to kill the prince, he took Ajit and the queen, and kept them in an ashram. When Prince Ajit Singh grew up, Durgadas put in all the efforts to make Ajit the king of Jodhpur. Till the age of 91, Durgadas Rathore lived in Jodhpur. After that he took sanyaas and went to Ujjain, where he breathed his last,” the chief minister said.
Yogi Adityanath further said, “All those who associate with the story, and who belong to the ‘Rathore-Teli’ caste wanted to install a statue of Durgadas in Agra, but some communities were opposing it. We called both the communities and talked to them. In the end, a compromise was reached. Then when the statue was installed, I said: If you’ll be divided, you will be destroyed. If you remain united, you will be worthier.”
New Slogan: ‘Ek Rahoge Toh Safe Rahoge’
CM Yogi said, “I am thankful that the honourable Prime Minister took this message forward, and gave the slogan of ‘Ek Rahoge, Safe Rahoge‘ to connect the entire country. I believe that the message of Maha Kumbh is also that the country will remain united only through unity. If the country remains united, the country will remain safe.”
“Sanatan Dharma will remain safe. Every caste, every opinion, every sect, every creed will also remain safe. And if there is this security, prosperity will come automatically,” Yogi Adityanath added.
Amit Shah Too Had Spoken On CM Yogi’s Slogan
When News18 Hindi had asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to respond to the controversy over “batoge toh katoge”, he said, “As far as division is concerned, it is the work of Congress. It divides people. It divides them into castes in different ways. It divides the society. The entire nation knows that most riots have happened during the rule of Congress. Most terrorist attacks happened during their time. This is why PM Modi is warning the people of Maharashtra.”
- Location :
Prayagraj, India
