BJP distances itself from 'har har Modi' slogan

New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) The BJP Sunday distanced itself from the "har har Modi" (Hail Modi) slogan being raised by some of its supporters in Varanasi and said its official slogan was "Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar" (Modi government this time).

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman referred to discussions on news channels concerning "har har Modi" and said it was not the party's slogan.

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh as well as Vadodara in Gujarat.

"It has come to our notice that in a few television channels there are discussions on "har har Modi" as if it is a BJP "nara" (slogan). The BJP slogan is "Ab ki baar, Modi sarkaar," Sitharaman said.

Modi also asked party supporters not to use the slogan hailing him.

"Some enthusiastic supporters are using 'Har Har Modi...'. I respect their enthusiasm but request them not to use this slogan in future," Modi said in a tweet.

Apart from Congress leaders, some Hindu religious leaders had taken exception to the use of "har har Modi" coinage which is an emulation of centuries-old slogan "har har Mahadev" hailing Lord Shiva.