NEW DELHI — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday tried to distance itself from the “Har Har Modi” slogan raised by its supporters in Varanasi and elesewhere as part of its election campaign. The party said that its official slogan was “Ab ki baar, Modi sarkaar” (It's time for Modi government).” 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),” party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said in a statement. She said the BJP slogan is “Ab ki baar, Modi sarkaar.” As Hindu seers and opposition parties objected to ‘Har Har Modi' slogan, Narendra Modi himself asked his supporters not to use it. “Some enthusiastic supporters have been using the slogan ‘Har Har Modi'. I respect their enthusiasm, but request them not to use this slogan in the future,” Modi tweeted. Earlier, Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth Swaroopanand Saraswati had objected to the slogan and registered a protest with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat asking him to stop such “vyakti puja” (eulogizing of individual). “In his reply, Bhagwat claimed that RSS is always against worship of an individual. He also claimed that such chanting is done out of over enthusiasm by some supporters, and it is not an intentional effort by BJP,” said Swaroopanand. However, he was unconvinced by the explanation. “If RSS doesn't endorse worship of an individual then why it has not done anything to stop such activities?…Why Modi is not opposing it from the very first moment,” he asked. “People say that no one can stop Modi. But, if such activities continue, God will stop him,” said Swaroopanand.
