Karnataka: Congress party worker made to take off 'PayCM' t-shirt at Bharat Jodo Yatra; Siddaramiah condemns

A Congress worker was made to take off his ‘PayCM’ t-shirt in Karnataka during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and a case was registered against him. Leader of opposition in Karnataka assembly and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah condemned the incident calling it an act of rowdism by the police.

The Congress leader shared the video of the incident on his official Twitter account which shows the police dragging the party worker. A cop is also seen punching the worker on his neck from the back, landing blows on him with his fist.

According to a India Today report, Congress worker Akshay Kumar wore a t-shirt with a poster that read 'PayCM' to the Bharat Jodo Yatra today - targetting Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai and his government for allegedly charging a 40 per cent commission on public works.

Kumar was earlier seen holding up a white flag with the PayCM poster with a QR code.

The state Congress also condemning the incident said, “Atrocities on our worker who wore a ‘PayCM’ t-shirt are condemnable. Who gave the powers to the police to remove his t-shirt and assault him? Are these police or goons? The police who assaulted should be suspended.”

Last month, posters of ‘PayCM' with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's photograph surfaced across parts of Bengaluru, similar to the electronic wallet Paytm's advertisements. Basavaraj Bommai's face was in the middle of the QR code with the message "40% accepted here".

Amid drizzles, thousands of Congress workers led by their leader Rahul Gandhi, resumed the Bharat Jodo yatra which entered day two in the state today. The padayatra, which will cover 15 kilometres in the morning, started at 7.40 a.m. from Tondawadi Gate and is slated to enter Mysuru district in few hours.

Earlier, the padayatra was delayed due to rains in the morning. Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh has tweeted on Saturday that the 24th day of Bharat Jodo Yatra that was to start at 6.30 am has been delayed due to rains.

The rains arrived after a gap of 15 days and will benefit farmers.