A post of the Kerala unit of Congress party triggered a political storm as it drew parallels between the state of Bihar and bidis. After the post went viral invoking strong reactions from across parties, the Congress' Kerala unit issued an apology.
"We see that our jibe at Modi's election gimmick with GST rates is being twisted. Our apologies if you felt hurt," the state unit wrote on X.
The earlier post, which has now been deleted, linked the centre’s goods and services tax (GST) rate cuts on bidis to Bihar.
“Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered sin anymore,” the Kerala unit of Congress wrote, as it shared the details of the revised gst rates on cigars, cigarettes, bidis, and tobacco.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared the now-deleted post on his X handle, accusing the Congress of crossing the line.
“Congress crosses the line again," Poonawalla wrote on X.
“After abusing PM Narendra Modi ji’s mother, now compares Bihar with Bidi! Does Tejashwi Yadav endorse this?" he asked.
“From Revanth Reddy to DMK To Congress- their hatred for Bihar is evident," he added.
Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary called it an "insult to the entire Bihar".
"First, the insult to the revered mother of our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and now the insult to the entire Bihar— this is the true character of the Congress, which is repeatedly being exposed before the country," he wrote on X.
Janata Dal United (JDU) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha called it "another utterly shameful act" by Congress.
"Let me tell you that B doesn't just mean bidi, it also means buddhi (intellect), which you lack. B also means budget, which makes you jealous when Bihar received special assistance," he wrote on X in Hindi.
By mocking Bihar, Congress has not only insulted the people of Bihar once again but has also made a mockery of the nation's glorious history and democracy, Jha stated.
According to the new rates decided by the GST Council on September 3, bidis will now attract a tax of 18 per cent, as opposed to the 28 per cent levied earlier.
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