By Kavita Mistry 
Last Updated:
The BJP hit out at the Kerala Congress for likening Bihar to bidis in a post on GST rates, calling it an insult to the state. The Congress Kerala later issued an apology.
File photos of Samrat Choudhary/Shehzad Poonawalla (PTI)
The Kerala unit of the Congress on Friday issued an apology after the Bharatiya Janata Party slammed it for drawing parallels between the state of Bihar and bidis (thin cigarettes or mini-cigars filled with tobacco flake), and criticised the proposed GST rate changes on the same.
“Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered a sin anymore,” the Congress Kerala’s post on X read, as it also shared a chart showing the current and the proposed GST rates on tobacco products.
However, the party deleted the post as it triggered a political row.
Later, the party alleged its jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “election gimmick” was “twisted” and apologised.
As the party’s earlier post triggered a row, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla asked if Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav endorses the comparison of bidis with the state of Bihar.
Poonawalla also alleged that the INDIA bloc’s “hatred for Bihar” was evident.
“Congress crosses the line again,” Poonawalla wrote on X.
“After abusing PM Narendra Modi ji’s mother, now compares Bihar with Bidi ! Does Tejaswi Yadav endorse this?” he asked.
“From Revanth Reddy to DMK To Congress- their hatred for Bihar is evident,” he added.
Echoing Poonawalla, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary, also called the Kerala Congress’s post an insult to the state of Bihar.
“First, the insult to the revered mother of our honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, and now the insult to the entire Bihar—this is the true character of the Congress, which is repeatedly being exposed before the country,” the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister wrote on X.
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
Vijay Kumar Sinha, the other Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, said, “Action should be taken against this. From Lord Buddha to Mahavira and Govind Singh Sahib, all have their background in Bihar. If anyone raises a question on any province of the country or insults it, that person cannot be a son of Mother India.”
Commenting on the row, Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said, “The leaders of the Congress party are engaged in insulting Biharis and Bihar. The post by Kerala Congress clearly shows that insulting the people of Bihar or belittling Bihar is the work of the Congress party.”
“Therefore, ‘B for Beedi and B for Bihari,’ this was said by the Congress party. Today, the people of Bihar are asking the Congress party whether they compare Biharis to Beedi,” he said.
“The people of Bihar cannot forgive this. The mentality of Congress has been exposed,” he added.
BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan also slammed the Congress party over its post and wrote on X, “C in crass & Congress, R in regressive & Rahul Gandhi defines the hate and contempt the Congress party has for Bihar.”
“The Congress pejoratively likening Bidi to Bihar is an outright insult to every citizen of Bihar. The Congress may have deleted their tweet hurriedly but the depraved condescending mindset of the Congress party toward people of Bihar cannot be erased away,” (sic), he added.
C in crass & Congress, R in regressive & Rahul Gandhi defines the hate and contempt the Congress party has for Bihar. The Congress pejoratively likening Bidi to Bihar is an outright insult to every citizen of Bihar. The Congress may have deleted their tweet hurriedly but the… pic.twitter.com/oH4pkeTr9L— C.R.Kesavan (@crkesavan) September 5, 2025
BJP MP from Bihar’s Begusarai, Shandilya Giriraj Singh, also wrote on X, “From B: Foolish Rahul’s malicious Congress always mistreats Bihar .. Their ruin is certain.”
On Thursday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took a swipe at the Congress party and asked if it was demanding a 5 per cent tax on tobacco and gutkha (a type of smokeless tobacco product).
During her GST announcement, the Finance Minister proposed a special 40 per cent slab for a select few items such as high-end cars, tobacco and cigarettes.
The new rates for all products, except gutkha, tobacco and tobacco products and cigarettes, will be effective September 22, the first day of Navratri, she said.
ALSO READ | GST Overhaul: What Are ‘Sin’ Goods? Here Are All The Items In The ‘40% Club’
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
September 05, 2025, 10:55 IST
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