Karnataka: Congress intensifies PayCM campaign, top leaders arrested for putting posters

The Congress leaders pasted `PayCM posters` at public places ignoring state government`s direction to investigate the matter.

Bengaluru: The Congress on Friday intensified its campaign targeting Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with the top party leaders putting up 'PayCM posters' at public places ignoring state government's direction to investigate the matter. The Chief Minister hit back saying that the Congress has no moral right to speak about corruption. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah, state Congress chief D K Shivakumar, All India Congress Committee general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and several senior MLAs and others participated in the campaign.

They put up the PayCM poster on the Race Course wall in the city opposite the Volvo office. Later, the Congress leaders were arrested and the posters were removed from the public place. Congress leaders such as B K Hariprasad and others pasted the posters on the bus which police had brought to take away the leaders to the police station.

The Congress state chief Shivakumar alleged the police did not take action against those who put up birthday and other posters of politicians illegally but arrest only the Congress people. "This campaign will go to every nook and corner of the state. We will not stop it here," Shivakumar said.

Surjewala who too was arrested, tweeted, "The #40PercentCommission Bommai Govt is so unnerved that it has given #Karnataka Police the job of tearing up posters & arresting Opposition leaders instead of maintaining law & order. People are waiting to throw out the BJP Govt mired in unbearable stench of corruption."

The party also pasted the 'PayCM' posters at the BJP's Nelamangala office on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Friday.

The party later shared the pictures of its PayCM campaign with media.
Chief Minister Bommai retaliated against the charge on Friday.
He alleged the Congress party was involved in multiple scams and it has no moral right to talk about corruption.

He also said the government has given a detailed reply on the corruption charges levelled by a Contractors' Association, which had alleged that ministers allegedly charge 40 per cent commission for the public works.