Bhopal, June 29: Amid ongoing poster war between the BJP and Congress in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, digital payments company PhonePe has objected to the use of its logo in the posters warning of legal action.
In a statement, PhonePe has objected to the unauthorised usage of its brand logo, by any third party, be it political or non-political.
“We are not associated with any political campaign or party,” it said.
“PhonePe logo is a registered trademark of our company and any unauthorised use of PhonePe’s intellectual property rights will invite legal action. We humbly request @INCMP to remove the posters and banners featuring our brand logo and colour.”
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday said the government will take action on the matter, if Phonepe lodges the complaint. The minister claimed that objectionable posters of CM Chouhan were put up by Congress workers.
“Congress is playing dirty politics to hide its internal conflict. Congress workers were seen putting up posters in Chhindwara, Gwalior, Narsinghpur, Bhopal and other places. CCTV footage revealed that Congress workers have put up these objectionable posters,” Narottam Mishra said while talking to the media persons on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Police on Wednesday filed a case against unidentified persons in connection with objectionable posters featuring Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan which have emerged in Gwalior.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Singh Chandel stated that a case has been registered under the relevant Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections at the Padao police station following a complaint regarding the objectionable posters of the chief minister.
The accused in the FIR have not been identified and further investigation was underway, he added.
The posters featuring a QR code and a picture of Chouhan with the message: “50% Lao, Kam Karao” (bring 50 per cent and get the work done) along with the name of a leading online payment app, PhonePe, have come up in several cities of Madhya Pradesh, including Gwalior, in the last few days.
Poster war between Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state Congress chief Kamal Nath has escalated ahead of the Assembly polls.
Objectionable posters of Chouhan and Kamal Nath were put up with QR codes in Bhopal last week, and have sprouted across the state. At first, the objectionable posters of Kamal Nath were put up at market premises in Bhopal, in which he was accused of ”corruption” during his 15-month Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. Next morning, similar posters of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan were put up in various places.
