MANDYA: The Mandya police detained a few Congress party workers for wearing T-shirts with ‘PayCM’ printed on them during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra on Friday.
A huddle of party workers and supporters was moving behind Rahul Gandhi with some party workers wearing ‘PayCM’, ‘PayAshwathnarayan’, and ‘PayEshwarappa’ printed on them when the Bharat Jodo Yatra, led by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, resumed from K Mallenahalli in Mandya district on Friday. Following this, the Mandya police detained a few Congress workers wearing those T-shirts.
‘PayCM’ is an aggressive campaign launched by Congress against the Basavaraj Bommai government, accusing it of massive corruption. The PayCM campaign appears to have started on September 21, when posters featuring Bommai surfaced in Bengaluru. These posters had a QR code with the message “40 per cent accepted here”.
When scanned, the QR code would take people to a parody “40 per cent Commission Government” website launched recently by the Congress. People would then be asked to file their complaints, if any, against the chief minister. However, the Karnataka government has dismissed the charges as politically motivated.
Earlier this month, a Congress worker was made to take off his T-shirt that featured the ‘PayCM’ poster during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and an FIR has also been registered against him at the Chamarajanagar police station.
Following this, Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar dared the state government to act against him and former CM Siddaramaiah for wearing the ‘PayCM’ T-shirt, alleging that several party workers were booked for wearing the T-shirt during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.
“The government is sunk in 40% commission. All sections, including farmers, are suffering. On the one hand, there is corruption and unrest, on the other hand, there is the problem of farmers and unemployment. An atmosphere of fear has been created among the people,” Shivakumar alleged. (ANI)