Fadnavis credits 'ek hai toh safe hai', Ladki Bahin for mega win

Mumbai, Dec 6 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has credited PM Narendra Modi's 'ek hai toh safe hai' (together, we are safe) slogan and schemes like the Ladki Bahin Yojana, for the massive mandate the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance got in the assembly elections.

Hindutva played an important role and counter-polarisation also helped the Mahayuti score the thumping victory, Fadnavis told TV news channels.

“PM Modi's ‘ek hai to safe hai’ slogan caught the imagination of the people,” Fadnavis said.

During the election campaign, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had raised the "batenge toh katenge" (divided we are destroyed) slogan, which was followed by Modi's "ek hain toh safe hain" call.

Fadnavis claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was done with foreign funding of forces working to destabilise India.

Fadnavis also defended his call for "dharma yudh of votes" to counter an appeal by an Islamic scholar for "vote-Jihad" against the Mahayuti alliance.

“If anyone speaks of vote jihad, we will indulge in dharma yudh of votes,” Fadnavis said.

"Hindutva is in our blood. It doesn't need a poster boy. Hindus don't discriminate. Modi did development and didn't discriminate," Fadnavis said.

On Yogi Adityanath’s "batenge toh katenge" slogan, Fadnavis said, “it looks nice in English”.

Fadnavis, who took oath as Maharashtra chief minister for the third time on Thursday, said Hindutva and development are two sides of the same coin and described BJP's Hindutva as a way of life.

He also alleged that opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance had an agreement with people like Islamic scholar Sajjad Nomani, and agreed to withdraw riot cases filed against Muslims.

"The voter turnout increased because Congress tried to suppress Hindus. When you try to suppress someone, they rise strongly. Our development schemes and Hindutva worked,” he said.

"BJP's Hindutva is a way of life and not related to religious rituals. Muslims have different religious rituals. One should not have a narrow-minded view of Hindutva," Fadnavis said.

Through his actions, PM Modi has shown what inclusive Hindutva is, he added.

"Those who used to be scared of going to temples for fear of losing Muslim votes, are now frequently visiting them," he said, without naming Rahul Gandhi.

Fadnavis also criticized the opposition’s election strategies, accusing them of leveraging religious platforms for political gain.

“Using religious places for asking for votes was wrong,” he said, adding the opposition’s consolidation tactics backfired. “People have woken up against this consolidation that is making life difficult. Every action has a reaction,” he said.

Fadnavis highlighted women-centric schemes like the Ladki Bahin Yojana, designed to boost economic growth. “We have brought in women-supporting schemes that will take forward the overall economy,” he said.

Fadnavis said that after taking the oath of office on Thursday, he called up many senior state leaders, including political rivals Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. “They responded well," he said, adding, “They congratulated me." He also slammed the opposition for casting doubts on electronic voting machines (EVMs). “When they win, they don’t speak against EVMs, but after losing any election, they start crying against EVMs," he said. PTI MR NP VT