Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers dropped the controversial slogan ‘har-har Modi’ and replaced it with ‘Kashi ke kan-kan mein Modi’ (Modi everywhere in Varanasi).

But Samajwadi Party (SP) workers smeared black paint on BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's posters in Varanasi on Monday in protest against the use of ‘religious’ words in sloganeering.

A petition was also filed in a court in Varanasi on Monday accusing Modi of hurting religious sentiments, and a hearing has been scheduled for April 3.

A handful of SP workers assembled on the Rajendra Prasad ghat on the banks of the Ganga and raised ‘anti-Modi’ slogans.

They also smeared black paint on Modi's posters. “We will take our protest to other parts of the town,” the workers said. BJP workers maintained that they had dropped the slogan after the party’s leadership asked them not to hurt religious sentiment.

BJP leaders in Varanasi coined the slogan ‘har-har Modi, ghar-ghar Modi’ and the saffron party’s workers were using it quite aggressively in the campaign.

SP leaders replied to it with their slogan ‘thar-thar Modi, dar-dar Modi’ (shivering Modi, scared Modi).

Hundreds of posters carrying the slogan were seen pasted on the walls in Allahabad.