Karnataka Congress Chief Shivakumar, LoP Siddaramaiah Among Leaders Detained Over 'PayCM' Posters

Congress has put up 'PayCM posters' featuring Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai's image throughout Bengaluru as part of its campaign against the BJP.

Several Congress leaders in Karnataka, including state party chief DK Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah and Randeep Singh Surjewala, were detained on Friday in connection with the 'PayCM' posters against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Bengaluru.

"The 'PayCM' poster protest will continue in the entire state. This is a campaign by the Congress party against this "40% corruption government," ANI quoted Siddaramaiah as saying after being detained.

Other leaders who were detained inlcude BK Hariprasad and Priyank Khadge.

Congress has put up 'PayCM posters' featuring Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai's image throughout Bengaluru as part of its campaign against the BJP. The "40% sarkara" posters are intended to highlight how the current BJP regime has allegedly made 40 per cent commission rate the norm. 

Siddaramaiah targeted the BJP and CM Bommai in a series of tweets, saying, "Unable to confront us in the Legislature, they ended the session hastily without giving us a chance to debate and rejected our request to extend the session." "BJP's government in the state is not only corrupt but coward," he further tweeted.

'PayCM’ Posters With K'taka CM Face Surfaced In Bengaluru 

The campaign grew out of allegations that ruling BJP leaders were taking 40 per cent commission from builders, contractors, and others. The allegations have sparked a major political uproar in the state ahead of the assembly elections next year, reports PTI. 

Posters resembling the design of e-wallet Paytm and bearing the image of Bommai on the QR code with the message "40% accepted here" appeared across Bengaluru earlier this week. 

When scanned, the QR code leads to a website called '40% Sarkara', which accuses the Bommai-led BJP government of charging a 40% commission on public works. The website was launched a few days ago by the Congress.

Bommai called the campaign "a systematic ploy" to tarnish his and Karnataka's image. "It is a pseudo-campaign," he had said.

"It's all for political reasons. I've challenged them to provide evidence. There were numerous scams that should have been investigated during their (Congress') tenure," according to news agency ANI, he said.