Karnataka polls: Congress starts 'flower-on-ear' campaign against BJP

Intensifying its election campaign in poll-bound Karnataka, the Congress on Saturday (February 18) launched a poster war against the BJP by pasting Kivi Mele Hoova (flower on the ear) on BJP posters in Bengaluru and Dakshina Kannada districts.

The campaign was pursued aggressively a day after Congress MLAs tucked flowers on their ears inside the assembly floor to show their protest against the unfulfilled promises made by the ruling BJP.

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The Congress stepped up the Kivi Mele Hoova campaign by taking it to the streets now, the party said in a statement.

“Posters of Kivi Mele Hoova are seen on the top of the BJP Achievement Wall paintings and posters in many parts of the Bengaluru city and Mangalore this morning,” it added.

Karnataka Congress on Friday (February 17) had attacked the BJP government for failing to fulfil 90 per cent of its 2018 manifesto promises and also for utilizing only 56 per cent of allocated funds of the 2022-2023 budget, the statement said.

The reality of Bommai Govt👇#KiviMeleHoova pic.twitter.com/YF4bzNUgvU

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) February 17, 2023

Former chief minister and Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah, Congress state president D K Shivakumar, and other Congress MLAs sported flowers on their ears to highlight that the BJP was making a fool out of people, it added.

The Kivi Mele Hoova is a pamphlet showing flowers tucked on the ear pasted on BJP posters.

The Congress poster appeared on BJP posters showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president J P Nadda, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, his predecessor B S Yediyurappa, and BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel.

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These posters were seen on Jayamahal Road in Bengaluru and Kankanadi in Dakshina Kannada district, a Congress activist said.

The BJP, in reaction, started a Twitter campaign “Thatt Antha Heli” (Reply Quickly) to portray Congress as a corrupt party.

The Congress in the past had started PayCM campaign alleging that the BJP government charged 40 per cent commission on all public works. A wordplay on digital payments firm PayTM, the PayCM campaign had a QR code showing Bommai’s face in the middle.

(With Agency inputs)