BENGALURU: After ‘welcome to 40 per cent CM’ billboard put up in Hyderabad recently, Congress in Karnataka on Wednesday launched a ‘PayCm’ poster campaign against the BJP government, triggering a ‘poster war’ over corruption in the state.
Posters carrying Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s photograph, QR code and ‘PayCm 40 per cent accepted here, scan this code to make the CM pay for corruption’ were found pasted on walls at many places in Bengaluru, including the walls of CM’s official residence on Race Course Road in Bengaluru. The QR code on the poster redirects to Congress’s web portal launched recently to receive complaints of corruption against the Bommai government.
While authorities got the posters removed from the walls of the CM’s residence, posters were seen on the walls and dustbins all along Queen’s Road and Jayamahal area in Bengaluru.Reacting to the poster campaign, Bommai termed it a conspiracy to tarnish his and Karnataka’s reputation. “Even we know how to do such baseless campaigns on social media. But people know it is a big lie”, Bommai said.
The CM had strongly reacted to the billboard in Telangana that was allegedly put up by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) members by saying that such acts would only spoil the ties between the two neighbouring states. In New Delhi, BJP National General Secretary C T Ravi alleged that the campaign is part of Congress party’s tool kit. “The attempt to tarnish the government’s image in this way started sometime ago and if they have evidence on 40 per cent commission, let them lodge a complaint with the Lokayukta”, he said.
‘campaign based on public opinion’
Congress MLA Priyank Kharge said, “It is not a personal attack but we have launched a campaign based on public opinion on corruption”. The ruling BJP too took to social media to hit out at the Congress. They put out posters with photographs of CLP leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief D K Shivakumar alleging that they had looted the state of Karnataka when they were in power. ‘Scan this to remove this duo from Karnataka’, the BJP poster on social media read. Meanwhile, the AAP in Karnataka clubbed both the posters to create its own with ‘PayCm 40 per cent accepted here, pay X cm 20 per cent accepted here’ slogan.
POLICE LAUNCH MANHUNT
Bengaluru: City top cop C H Pratap Reddy said the police are on the hunt for those who pasted the ‘PayCM’ posters. “The Central Division Police registered cases under the Public Places Disfigurement Act,” he said. The cases have been transferred to the City Crime Branch (CCB).