Opposition slams Yogi Adityanath over ‘batenge to katenge’ remark

Agra, August 26

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Monday urged people to stay united to reach the pinnacle of prosperity, saying the mistakes that happened in Bangladesh should not happen in India.

"Batenge to katenge (if divided, we will be cut)," he said during an inauguration event in Agra.

His remark triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders, including AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who accused Adityanath of himself creating a divide in Uttar Pradesh with his hate speeches against Muslims and directions to run bulldozers on houses of people of the minority community.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also took a jibe at Adityanath, saying he wants to become the prime minister but should not already be interfering in foreign affairs decisions that are taken by New Delhi.

Bangladesh recently saw massive anti-government protests, leading to the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The country continued to witness incidents of violence, including targeted attacks on the Hindu minority community, even after the fall of the Hasina-led government.

Addressing a gathering at a programme here, Adityanath said, "There can be nothing bigger than the nation, and when will a nation be strong, when we are united and good."

"Aap dekh rahe hain Bangladesh mein kya ho raha hai? Wo galtiyan yahan nahi honi chahiye. Batenge to katenge! Ek rahenge to nek rahenge, surakshit rahenge aur samriddhi ki parakashtha ko pahuchenge," the chief minister said in Hindi.

Roughly translated, he asked people if they are watching what is happening in Bangladesh and said those mistakes should not happen here, adding, "If divided, we will be cut; if together, we will be good, secure and reach the pinnacle of prosperity."

The chief minister also shared a clip of his speech on X.

Criticising his remark while speaking to PTI Videos, Owaisi said, "In his (Yogi Adityanath) rule today, houses of Muslims are demolished using bulldozers. He gives hate speeches against Muslims."

"Earlier, Adityanath had said 'thok denge'. Now, he is saying 'batenge to katenge' when he is the one dividing people. He is saying all this because he can see that his party members want to remove him from his post and this is his insecurity and unpopularity in Uttar Pradesh," the MP added.

Meanwhile, SP supremo Yadav, during an interaction with mediapersons in Lucknow on Janmashtami, said, "He (Adityanath) wants to become the prime minister but at least he should not play the role of prime minister. This is the job of the prime minister, the government of India to decide the relations India wants with which country of the world."

"This is not the first time that the chief minister has done something like this. He has done it in the past too. I hope 'Delhi-wale' will make him understand that he should not interfere in the decisions that are taken by Delhi," the former UP chief minister said.

After inaugurating a statue of Durgadas Rathore near the Taj Mahal metro station here, Adityanath said, "We have to realise the resolve of Viksit Bharat (developed India)."