This jolts the average BJP Joe, but he is not the one to make a hue and cry. Why hasn't Prime Minister Narendra Modi adopted 'Batenge toh katenge', which in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's book was a call for Hindu unity ahead of the Punjab, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and UP bypolls? And it had struck gold in Punjab.

The addictive slogan was snapped up by the saffron ecosystem even as it jolted the opposition parties out of their comfort zones. 'Batenge toh katenge' came off the tongue with effortless ease and it gave Akhilesh Yadav's 'Pichada, Dalit, Alpsankyak' — 'PDA' a run for its money in the average Hindu's mind.

Samajwadi Party Supremo Akhilesh Yadav's hugely successful 'PDA' paled in front of 'Batenge toh katenge' which ran with 'Ek rahoge toh nek rahoge', both the lines complementing each other, with the one rolling from the other as if 'one'.

Together, they made perfect sense. 'Batenge toh katenge' is the Hindi equivalent of 'United we stand, divided we fall'. But while the English saying didn't divide, Yogi Adityanath's 'Batenge toh katenge' was immediately put to test and found to be hugely "divisive" and poisonously "communal".

Spokespersons of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, NCP (Sharad Pawar) and Shiv Sena (UBT) questioned 'Batenge toh katenge', asking innocently who would be "batenge" and who would be "katenge"? And TV anchors, repeated the question, as if from dumb to dumber!

Everybody knows who the 'batenge' are and who the 'katenge' are? But why explain, the more the noise in the studio, the greater the TRP. Even the so-called "sharpest opinion" wouldn't come close to answering the simple question as to who are "batenge" and who are the "katenge".

The Congress skirts the question, the Samajwadi Party avoids, NCP (Sharad Pawar) doesn’t answer, Shiv Sena (UBT) deflects; Shiv Sena (Shinde) and BJP go everywhere but to the answer. The last of the lot is as nervous in giving an answer as are the first and second of the lot.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi of the Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar) and Shiv Sena (UBT) equates 'Batenge toh katenge' with the "divisive and communal politics" of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena (Shinde). And the Bharatiya Janata Party starts talking of "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas".

BJP leaders and spokespersons let slip "Batenge toh katenge", off and on.

TV anchors who toe the BJP line also refrain from using 'Batenge toh katenge' and it is easy to understand "Why?" Back of their minds is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has steadfastly refused to utter 'Batenge toh katenge', not once did the slogan ring out from Prime Minister Modi's tongue.

The Yogi broke the mould and spoke the slogan 'Batenge toh katenge' for the first time and the rest of the BJP adopted it, Prime Minister Modi coined his version "Agar hum batenge toh bantne wale mehfil sajayenge", which the mainstream media picked it up till even Modi realised it stood no chance against the Yogi's 'Batenge toh katenge'.

'....Mehfil sajayenge' died a natural death and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to date hasn't found another replacement for 'Batenge toh katenge'.

It is apparent now that at some point, the Prime Minister gave up. So with 'Batenge toh katenge' in a class of its own, Prime Minister Modi took a look at the Yogi's 'Ek rehoge toh nek rehoge'. What's striking about 'Batenge toh katenge' is that while it seeks to unify the Hindu/Sanatani with 'Ek rehoge toh nek rehoge', it created a schism between a Prime Minister and a Chief Minister because the PM’s '...Mehfil Sajayenge' could not stand a chance before 'Batenge toh katenge'.

The hierarchy of sycophants and underlings heaved a sigh of relief when finally, the PM coined 'Ek rehoge toh Safe rehoge' and replaced 'Ek rehoge toh nek rehoge', which has now been adopted by the entire BJP in one voice. 'Ek rehoge toh Safe rehoge' has been printed and published, posted and pasted wherever it could be seen and should be seen, and it is being spoken aloud by BJP spokespersons and BJP workers, and BJP supporters, by everybody including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath!

Imagine the vanity, the hubris and the servility. Yogi Adityanath's 'Ek rehoge toh nek rehoge' will be wiped clean from BJP records, the audio washed clean off the tape as time passes. All that will remain will be 'Ek rehoge toh Safe rehoge'. All because a Prime Minister couldn't make himself say aloud words coined by a popular Chief Minister.

Importantly, we get the sneaking feeling that 'Batenge toh katenge' sounds "divisive and communal" to even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he would rather not utter it or let it ring out in his public meetings, rallies and roadshows. The BJP ecosystem makes it sure it isn't heard anywhere around the Prime Minister even after it turned out that the RSS found 'Batenge toh katenge' to be the ultimate aphrodisiac for Hindus at large.

As for who are the 'batenge' and who are the 'katenge', both refer to the "Hindu", if the Hindu are “batenge", the Hindu will end up “katenge" – cause and effect.”

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s 'Batenge toh katenge' slogan is a call for Hindu unity. It cannot be expanded to include Muslims, just like the CAA couldn't be applied to Muslims of Muslim majority countries. 'Batenge toh katenge' and 'Ek Rehoge toh nek rehoge' (replaced by Prime Minister Modi's 'Ek rehoge toh Safe rehoge') is Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's counter to Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav's 'PDA' and to the secular parties' Muslim votes' consolidation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi went for the “safe” alternative. (IPA Service)