JAIPUR: Two traders from Jaipur are in a serious predicament after using a slogan popularised by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The slogan, “Batenge To Katenge” (If we divide, we will be cut), which was intended to promote unity, was incorporated into their Diwali marketing campaign.
However, the campaign has backfired, and the traders have reportedly received threatening phone calls from international numbers, causing concern among Jaipur’s business community.
Ahead of Diwali, the traders displayed posters across the city featuring the slogan: “Batenge To Katenge… Do your Diwali shopping from those who can make Diwali possible with your shopping.”
The posters, which included the traders' names and contact details, invited locals to support their businesses during the festive season.
However, shortly after the posters went up, the traders began receiving threatening calls from international numbers, reportedly from Pakistan, Kuwait, and the Maldives.
Callers allegedly used abusive language and warned that the traders would be shot within ten days. Alarmed, the traders filed a report at the Bajaj Nagar police station, sharing the details of the international numbers.
The slogan “Batenge To Katenge,” which Adityanath had recently emphasised to discourage societal division, has gained traction in Uttar Pradesh as a call for unity.
He stated, “If we remain united, we will be safe and prosperous. If divided, we will fall,” urging the public to guard against divisions based on caste, language, or other social factors. The message led to posters featuring the slogan appearing across Uttar Pradesh.
However, when the Jaipur traders adapted the slogan for their own campaign, it seemingly attracted hostility. Their experience has caused concern within Jaipur’s business circles, with other traders now worried about the possibility of similar escalations.
Police have launched an investigation and are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of the traders and the wider community.
Meanwhile, Yogi Adityanath’s slogan has stirred controversy across the country. Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge responded by criticising the BJP, stating, “You are the ones who divide, you are the ones who cut.”
With nine by-elections upcoming for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, a clash of campaign slogans has erupted among political parties. In response to Adityanath’s slogan, a Samajwadi Party (SP) worker from Deoria district put up a hoarding outside the SP office in Lucknow, reading, “Judenge To Jeetenge” (If we unite, we will win). The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), led by former Chief Minister Mayawati, joined the slogan race, declaring, “If we join the BSP, we will progress and stay safe.”
SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the BJP’s slogan, calling it “negative” and a reflection of the BJP’s “disappointment and failure.” Yadav added that this slogan could go down as the “worst in the country’s history” and might lead to the BJP’s political downfall. Responding to Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya referred to the SP’s “PDA” term, used by Yadav to denote support for backward, Dalit, and minority groups, as the “Parivarti Development Agency.”
Mayawati, while criticising both the SP and BJP, claimed their slogans aimed to mislead the public and distract from their own shortcomings. As political parties continue to battle with slogans, the upcoming by-elections in Uttar Pradesh are shaping up to be as much about campaign narratives as they are about policy promises.