Congress leaders arrested for PayCM campaign poster in Karnataka

BENGALURU: Congress social media head B.R. Naidu and two others were arrested by the High Ground police in the wee hours of Thursday over their alleged involvement in the pasting of PayCM posters, as part of the party’s campaign on Wednesday.

First Information Reports were filed on the posters at various police stations in Bengaluru city under sections of the Karnataka Open Places Prevention and Disfigurement) Act, 1981. B.R. Naidu was arrested by the High Ground police.

In its counter attack against the Congress' poster campaign, the BJP came out with posters having QR Code with the pictures of former CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar, stating that “The duo needs to be ousted from the state.”

The arrest of the Congress activists triggered a war of words between BJP and Congress MLAs in both the Houses of the Assembly. Attacking the BJP, the Congress took to poster campaign against the ruling BJP government on Wednesday by pasting posters of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in public places including Race Course Road where the Chief Minister’s residence is located.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar made a visit to High Ground police station on Thursday morning over the arrest of Naidu and other party activists.

Meanwhile in the Vidhana Soudha, the former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday said to step up ante their campaign against ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the party workers would not keep quiet over the arrests made by the police.

Siddaramaiah asked “Did Naidu commit a murder for his arrest?” He said that Paycm poster campaign was part of the party’s campaign against the BJP. In the Assembly, Minister for Law Madhuswamy stated that he was hurt by the use of picture in QR Code poster.

In the Assembly, Minister for Law Madhuswamy stated he was hurt over the Paycm posters against the Chief Minister while BJP MLA Rajeev “On what basis did Chief Minister’s picture was inserted in the QR code poster?”

In the Council, Congress legislators-B.K. Hariprasad and Prakash Rathod displayed Paycm posters and they were countered by BJP legislators.