Uddhav Thackeray Fires 'No Unity' Barb After Ajit Pawar Objects To Adityanath's 'Batenge Toh Katenge' Slogan

Mumbai: As Ajit Pawar-led NCP distanced itself from UP CM Yogi Adityanath's slogan 'Batenge Toh Katenge', Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray alleged that there is no unity in the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. “Ajit Pawar's disapproval of Yogi's remark shows there is no unity in the Mahayuti. Maharashtra does not need any lesson from the UP chief minister,” Thackeray said at an election rally in Buldhana of the poll-bound state, PTI reported.CM Yogi Adityanath first gave the slogan ‘batenge toh katenge’ (divided we will be killed) in August, days after the ouster of Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina amid student-led protests. He reiterated the slogan while campaigning for a Mahayuti candidate in Maharashtra on Wednesday. Reacting to the same, Ajit Pawar had said that such statements come from "outside" individuals, arguing that Maharashtra has always upheld communal harmony."Nobody should compare Maharashtra with other states. People here have always ensured communal harmony. Some from outside come here and make statements, but Maharashtra has never accepted any communal division. The state follows the secular ideology of Shahu (Maharaj), (Jyotiba) Phule, and (Babasaheb) Ambedkar," Pawar said, without directly naming Yogi Adityanath.Ajit Pawar added that he would campaign for party candidate Nawab Malik who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. Malik is currently out on bail and is the NCP candidate from the Mankhurd-Shivajinagar seat. CM Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has also fielded a candidate there. While both are Mahayuti candidates, the BJP is backing Shinde's candidate and has ruled out campaigning for Malik.