Patna: A social media post by the Kerala Congress has triggered outrage in Bihar, with the BJP and Janata Dal (United) accusing the party of insulting the state and its people.
The post, which has since been deleted from the official account, highlighted recent reforms in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on tobacco products. While the tax on cigarettes and cigars has been raised from 28% to 40%, the levy on bidis has been reduced from 28% to 18%. The post read: “Bidi and Bihar both start with ‘B’. Now they cannot be considered sins.”
The remark drew sharp criticism from Bihar leaders. State BJP president Dilip Jaiswal called it “an insult to Biharis”, adding that “belittling the people of Bihar is the work of the Congress party.”
JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha also hit back, saying: “B does not only stand for bidi but also for intelligence, which you do not have. Bihar is the land of Adishakti Maa Janaki, where Buddha attained enlightenment, and which produced India’s first President and the call for total revolution. The people of Bihar will answer this insult with their vote.”
कांग्रेस की एक और अत्यंत शर्मनाक हरकत!
आपको बता दें कि B से सिर्फ बीड़ी नहीं, बुद्धि भी होती है, जो आपके पास नहीं है!
B से बजट भी होता है, जिसमें बिहार को विशेष सहायता मिलने पर आपको मिर्ची लगती है।#बिहार का मजाक बनाने की नीचता कर कांग्रेस ने न केवल बिहारवासियों का फिर से अपमान… pic.twitter.com/y6Z4Qj3Yua— Sanjay Kumar Jha (@SanjayJhaBihar) September 5, 2025
Bihar’s deputy chief minister, Vijay Kumar Sinha, described the post as “sad and unfortunate”, while his colleague Samrat Choudhary accused Congress of repeatedly disrespecting Biharis. JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar demanded a response from opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, asking whether Bihar should be equated with bidi.
पहले हमारे माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी की पूजनीय माता जी का अपमान और अब पूरे बिहार का अपमान — यही है कांग्रेस का असली चरित्र, जो बार-बार देश के सामने उजागर हो रहा है। pic.twitter.com/VvliP16tTJ
— Samrat Choudhary (@samrat4bjp) September 5, 2025
The controversy comes at a time when the Bihar Congress is already under fire for abusive remarks directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother during Rahul Gandhi’s recent Voter Adhikar Yatra in Darbhanga. That incident prompted a state-wide bandh by the BJP and multiple complaints filed against Gandhi and Yadav.
