Need not bring slogans like batenge toh katenge to Maha, my politics is different: Pankaja Munde
Mumbai: As the Maharashtra Assembly elections are just around the corner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ramped up its campaign with the slogan ‘batenge toh katenge’ (If divided, we perish), deployed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath, which has sparked a political row. However, BJP MLC Pankaja Munde has voiced strongly that she will not support such slogans although she belongs to the saffron party.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Pankaja stated that her politics is different. “I won’t support it just because I belong to the same party. My belief is that we should work on development alone. A leader’s job is to make every living person on this land their own. Therefore, we need not bring any such topic to Maharashtra,” she said.
Pankaja, Munde added UP CM Adityanath used the slogan “in a different context and in the political situation of that land”. She cleared that the meaning of the slogan is not what they are using in Maharashtra.
Incidentally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been using the slogan "Ek hain toh safe hain" (Together, we are safe), which his rivals argue is merely a rephrasing of the same idea.
Ajit Pawar suggested last week that the politics represented by slogans like “Batenge toh katenge” will not work in Maharashtra. “I have said this many times that it will not work in Maharashtra. It may work in UP, Jharkhand or other places,” asserted Pawar.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
