Representative Image of bidi.
Credit: iStock
A social media post by the Congress’s Kerala unit has ignited a fresh political row after it attempted to poke fun at the recent GST reforms by linking Bihar with bidis. The party later issued an apology, but not before the remark was seized upon by BJP leaders in the poll-bound state as a sign of Congress’s 'contempt' for Bihar.
The now-deleted post read, “Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered sin anymore.”
It was accompanied by a graphic pointing out that GST on cigars and cigarettes had been raised from 28% to 40%, while the levy on bidis was slashed from 28% to 18%, moving them out of the “sin goods” category.
The deleted Congress post on X.
The tweet immediately drew sharp criticism from Bihar’s ruling coalition. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary called it 'an insult to the entire state', accusing Congress of first targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late mother and now demeaning Bihar.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the party of “crossing all limits” and asked whether RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Congress’s ally in Bihar, endorsed the comment. The latter had then commented regarding the deleted post saying that the post was indeed wrong and they do not endorse it.
JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha also slammed the remark, calling it “shameful.” In a pointed response, he said, “B doesn’t just mean beedi, it also means Buddhi (wisdom), which you lack! It also stands for budget, which bothers you every time Bihar receives assistance.”
Under pressure, Congress deleted the post and clarified that the intention was to criticise GST reforms, not the people of Bihar.
"We see that our jibe at Modi’s election gimmick with GST rates is being twisted. Our apologies if you felt hurt," it said on X.
The controversy has handed fresh ammunition to the BJP and JD(U), who are expected to make regional pride and respect for Bihar a campaign flashpoint as the state heads toward elections later this year.