Batenge Toh Katenge: The Reassertion of Hindu Identity

Narendra Modi’s rallying slogan Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas in 2014 provided a sense of reassurance to a significant portion of the population, especially Hindus, who had long been grappling with their place in the broader national discourse. This was particularly poignant after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s controversial statement that the “minority” had the “first right to resources,” a remark that left many questioning secularism. 

In the wake of Prime Minister Modi's promise, the nation experienced a surge of development that many never imagined possible in their lifetimes. The list was impressive: new airports, modernized trains, revamped railway stations, LPG cylinders, new houses, better roads, bridges, waterways, toilets.... 

It was, without a doubt, Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas in action. What made it stand out was the fact that, despite the criticism that the government faced for its perceived ‘right wing Hindu nationalist’ agenda, no one could credibly accuse it of discrimination or favouritism in the allocation of resources. 

The benefits were felt by all, cutting across religious, caste, and regional lines. 

Early in the government’s second term turmoil erupted - almost as if it had been too peaceful for some people to digest. 

The CAA Protests, Shaheen Bagh and its chants of Lekay Rahenge Azaadi, Kaafiron Se Azaadi, the chilling words of Hum Dekhenge in the Indian context, Sab taaj uchale jaenge. Sab takht giraye jayenge. Bas naam rahega Allah ka; Delhi Riots and its murderous preparations, Modi Teri Kabbar Khudegi, the nationwide Covid lockdown and the yearlong Farmer’s protest – all unfolded in quick succession. 

Each event seemed to deepen the divide between communities, as agendas became more apparent and slogans grew increasingly polarizing such as Sar Tan Se Juda! 

In Kashi that winter, the constant refrain from street-food vendors, saree shop owners, boatmen, guides, hotel waiters, taxi drivers.... 

“Yogi jee toh aayenge. Koi doubt nahi hai. Seat kum ho sakti hai par ayenge toh Yogijee” 

“Itna kam keeya hai. Itna. Pani, bijli, safai, law and order” 

“Sab apna apna tyohaar manate hai. Dunga fasaad ka koi darr nahi. 5 saal mai ek bhi dunga nahi. Congress aur doosri partiyaan bhatakti phirti hai. Bahut try kiya dunge karne ke liye.” 

And with some glee, “Bilkul fail!” 

“SP toh musalmaano ki party hai. Inka ek-ek aadmi bahar ayega vote dene” 

“Par BJP supporter election vaale din dheele ho jaate hai. Over confidence ki bimaari hai”

 So many said that they will go from house to house getting people out to cast their vote. The one overriding sentiment was that the various government schemes reached everyone. The minorities availed of every benefit. 

It was said with some derision many times over - “Arre chaar chaar biwi hai, queue mai kadhe hone ke liye. Bees bache line laga lete hai par mushkil se 7-8% BJP ko vote denge” 

By February 2022, the resentment was so thick it could be cut with a knife. 

Though Yogi Adityanath had returned to office with a clear majority of no less than 255 in an Assembly of 403 seats, however 57 seats lower than before. Not surprising Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party upped their last tally by 64 seats. 

For the first time, a noticeable irritation with the slogan Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas began to surface. “Why not Jiska Saath, Uska Vikas?” some asked, with frustration. 

As state-of-the-art trains were pelted with stones and defaced, others questioned, “Why should we drag this gangrenous limb that wants to keep us stuck in the 7th century, holding everyone back?” 

Somewhere between the suggestion – that the Hindu community should suppress its joy and celebration following the landmark Ram Mandir judgment in November 2019 - so as not to "hurt the sentiments" of those who *still* took pride in the derelict Babri Masjid standing on a site revered by Hindus... 

and the revelation that Muslims, for centuries, at Gyanvapi Masjid had knowingly performed Wudu (a cleansing ritual) in a water body that contained a Shivling... 

to the fact that the Waqf Board held more land than the entire State of Pakistan and could take over your home, ancestral land, 1500 year old mandirs, even in 2024, without as much a blink... 

came the slow, reluctant realisation that there is no Badge of Honour for the silent, invisible and passive. 

Amidst this fog of revelations, Hindus also became aware of the extent of the problem with regard to illegal Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingyas on our landscape, in our space. 

With that awareness came an even harder truth: that with their Aadhar cards and voter IDs, they held the future of *our* children in their hands. 

And when the cute-sy ghostwritten op-eds in national dailies could no longer gas-light Hindus into believing that they were straying from the true path of their religion- about giving, embracing, and including - the response turned more aggressive. 

The strategy shifted to one of division, deliberately stoking caste-based fractures in an attempt to tear the community apart. 

While I personally viewed Ab Ki Baar, 400 Paar as a rallying cry for securing a larger mandate in the 2024 national elections to push through much-needed, long-delayed reforms, it seems some took it as a signal that the mission was already accomplished—and, in their complacency, failed to show up to vote. 

That complacency however, took only one speech of Rahul Gandhi in his official capacity as Leader of Opposition, attired in his overly tight, white t-shirt straining at the seams, to be jolted, shaken and stirred into action. 

That one speech with its photo presentation and that vicious hiss of Hinsak, Hinsak, Hinsak, left friends, family, WhatsApp groups, work colleagues, fence sitters, frightened for the future. And of course the guilt that we allowed him to reach thus far. 

Baijanti from Orissa who watched the Parliament speech with us put it succinctly “Kaise ghur ghur kar dekhta hai. Na koi tameez, na koi sanskaar” 

It may seem like a sentiment 800 years too late, but as they say, it's never truly too late. 

Hence Yogi Adityanath’s slogan Batenge Toh Katenge struck a deep chord of self-preservation – an instinct as old as the land itself. 

Surely the Hindu was not expected to merely watch while 'secular' politicians caved in to the demands of fanatical Islamist clerics, selling him into slavery once again? 

On a lighter note it can be said that this firmness of purpose and the results of it were so encouraging that the electorate showed preference to the original slogan than the Prime Minister’s effective but milder one of Ek Rahenge Toh Safe Rahenge. 

Perhaps it is not just uncanny but prophetic that the land of the great Mahabharat and the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has shown us, once again, that the force of a united and consolidated Hindu vote could become an unstoppable political tsunami—an assertion of Never Again. 

To those who played by the old playbook and were stunned by the results: We no longer take pride in being pushovers—whether here in India or globally. 

This is an India that puts itself first, leaving behind the tired excuse of 'high moral ground' to those lazy dinosaurs who once guilt-tripped us, too burdened by their own limitations to rise above being mere vassals. 

This is an India that aspires to sit at the High Table, and frankly, it could teach the United States a thing or two about conducting its elections. 

Yeah, take a good look at us!

~ It’s easy to think that people like you more if you do whatever they tell you to do, but it’s quite the opposite. People don’t appreciate pushovers—they use them. ~