Bengaluru: With a motive to malign the image of the Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai, some miscreants allegedly put “PayCM’ posters on walls with the photo of the top BJP leader. The incident irked the CM who ordered an immediate inquiry.
Terming it a ‘pseudo campaign,’ Bommai said the act not only maligns his image but also of Karnataka.
“It is a systematic conspiracy to spoil my name and also Karnataka. I have directed the officials concerned to book a case. We will get it investigated to find out the people behind it,” Bommai told reporters here.
“This is a baseless campaign in social media. Everyone knows how to do such things. Also, people know who is running the campaign. These are pseudo campaigns, which have intensified only recently. This has no value,” he added.
The CM said he is hurt because more than him, Karnataka is getting a bad name due to such a campaign. “So, we have decided to put a brake on such activities,” Bommai said.
 The posters, which appeared in the central region of the city resembled advertisements of electronic wallet Paytm.
Bommai’s face figures in the middle of the QR code with the message “40 % accepted here”.
“Scanning the QR code takes the user to the 40 per cent ‘sarkara’ website launched by the Congress for the (bribery) complaints”, according to sources.
The development comes in the midst of an aggressive campaign against the state government by the Congress, which charged it with corruption in awarding public contracts and government recruitment.
A contractors’ body had recently levelled bribery charges that contractors had to pay 40 per cent commission to get public works contracts, an allegation strongly denied by the government.
Soon after the matter came to the notice of the authorities, these posters in public places were removed.
 The BJP alleged that this was the handiwork of Congress.
