Indian digital payment company PhonePe has issued a warning to the Indian National Congress, the opposition party in Madhya Pradesh, amidst a viral poster war between Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is deemed objectionable.
An official announced on Tuesday that a police case had been registered against unidentified individuals in connection with objectionable posters featuring MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Superintendent of Police Rajesh Singh Chandel stated that a case had been filed at the Padao police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, the accused individuals had not been identified, and the investigation was ongoing.
The recent posters display a QR code with CM Chouhan’s face, resembling a PhonePe interface, accompanied by text in Hindi that loosely translates to “pay 50% commission to get your work done.” Images and videos of these posters pasted in various cities were shared on the Congress party’s Twitter handle. The posters were reportedly seen in cities like Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Sehore, Rewa, Mandsaur, Ujjain, Bhind, Balaghat, and Budhni, which is the chief minister’s Assembly seat.
The Congress party claims that these posters were a response to the alleged “poster war” initiated by the BJP, particularly objectionable posters featuring MP Congress president Kamal Nath. This issue has become highly contentious ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled to take place by the end of the year.
PhonePe expressed its dissatisfaction with the unauthorized use of its logo by the MP Congress and stated that it may take legal action against them. The company shared a message on its Twitter handle, clarifying that it objects to the unauthorized usage of its brand logo by any political or non-political party. PhonePe emphasized that it is not associated with any political campaign or party. They also highlighted that the PhonePe logo is a registered trademark and warned that any unauthorized use of their intellectual property rights would result in legal action. The company politely requested the Madhya Pradesh Congress to remove the posters and banners featuring their brand logo and colors.
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