Parties engage in slogan war ahead of UP bypolls

The age-old saying of 'united we stand, divided we fall' seems to be strongly resonating in the bypolls-bound Uttar Pradesh, with leaders of various political parties coining their slogans, which revolve around this famous line.

While Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath coined 'batenge toh katenge' (divided we fall) much before the bypolls were announced, a Samajwadi Party worker from the Deoria district put up a hoarding outside the party's office in Lucknow, which read 'judenge to jeetenge' (united we win).

The hoardings by another SP worker from the Maharajganj district says 'na batenge, na katenge, PDA ke sang rahenge' (we will neither get divided nor we will fall) and 'PDA jodegi aur jeetegi' (PDA will unite and win).

The BSP too jumped in the slogan fray with its chief Mayawati on Saturday saying, "BSP se judenge toh aage badhenge, surakshit rahenge'' (people will progress and remain safe with the BSP's).

Amit Chaubey, an SP worker from the Maharajganj district who coined two slogans told PTI, "The Samajwadi Party has coined the term 'PDA' which encompasses all sections of the society. Here 'P' also stands for 'pandit' (Brahmin), and A stands for 'agda' (upper castes).

"The SP is a party of all religions. Party founder 'Netaji' Mulayam Singh Yadav and party chief Akhilesh Yadav have worked for all sections of the society, and formed policies for them. However, the BJP works by dividing on the basis of caste."

He added that these prompted him to coin the slogans.

SP worker from the Deoria district Vijay Pratap Yadav put up a hoarding outside the party office in Lucknow, which read 'judenge to jeetenge'.

A third such poster by SP worker Ranjeet Singh reads 'na batenge, na katenge, 2027 ko nafrat karne waale hatenge. Hindu Muslim ek rahenge to nek rahenge'.

Dwelling into the psychological aspect of such political slogans, Pradeep Khatri, who taught psychology at Lucknow's National PG College, told PTI, "All these political slogans are innovative, attractive, and hammer on the mind of the people, thereby leaving long-lasting impression on people's mind, and the impact continues."

"This is the main reason that leaders of various political parties use slogans most of the time. These make an immediate and effective connection with the voters and masses. These also have an immediate recall value. As a result, these are retained more in the memory of the masses than the speeches," added Khatri, now a practising clinical psychologist and counsellor.

On Saturday, in an apparent reference to chief minister Adityanath's 'batenge toh katenge' remark, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said this "negative" slogan is symbolic of the BJP's "disappointment and failure".

He also claimed this slogan will be recorded in the country's history as the "worst slogan" and will lead to the BJP's political downfall.

Reacting to Yadav's comments, deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya termed the Samajwadi Party chief's coinage "PDA" as 'Parivaar' Development Agency.

By PDA, Yadav means Pichhade (backward classes), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (minorities).

Meanwhile, BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday slammed the SP and the BJP for their "misleading" slogans and said these are designed to divert people's attention from their own shortcomings.

"BSP se judenge toh aage badhenge, surakshit rahenge," Mayawati said.

The BSP supremo's remarks came hours after Maurya sought to delink the BJP from the 'batenge toh katenge' slogan used by Adityanath at Agra in August this year, whose "spirit" was subsequently endorsed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

"We will not let the opposition succeed with its dirty game of calling 'batenge toh katenge' BJP's slogan. Our party's slogan is the one coined by our top leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. 'Batenge toh katenge' was part of a speech, it is not the party's slogan," Maurya had told PTI.

Maurya later posted on X, "'Ek hain to Safe hain' -- this proclamation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the guarantee of a developed India and the well-being of all. 'Ek Bharat-Samarth Bharat'."

Voting will be held in Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj) and Kundarki (Moradabad) on 13 November, while votes will be counted on 23 November.

Adityanath on 23 September reiterated his "batenge toh katenge" remark, saying it was disunity which led to the "invaders destroying the Ram temple" in Ayodhya.

Earlier, he had made the same remark in reference to the violence in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government and alleged atrocities against Hindus.

He had raised this slogan during an inauguration event in Agra on 26 August and urged people to stay united, saying the mistakes in Bangladesh should not happen in India.