Congress’ ‘Bidis-Bihar’ post on X sparks political row

The Kerala unit of Congress sparked a row with its social media post on the Centre’s Goods and Service Tax (GST) reforms. The now-deleted post on X said, “Bidis and Bihar start with B” and “cannot be considered a sin anymore,” in reference to the GST cut on the tobacco product.

The Kerala unit of the Congress apologised for the post. It alleged that its jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “election gimmick” was “twisted”.

We see that our jibe at Modi’s election gimmick with GST rates is being twisted.

Our apologies if you felt hurt. ???????? pic.twitter.com/c5bMtgwW5s

— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) September 5, 2025

The Congress has come under fire for the post. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Samrat Choudhary called the post 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,” Choudhary posted 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

Janata Dal United MP Sanjay Kumar Jha also slammed the Congress, calling it “another extremely shameful act” by the Opposition party.

“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 receives special assistance,” Jha wrote on X in Hindi.

BJP’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the “Congress crosses the line again”.

“Congress crosses the line again. After abusing PM Narendra Modi ji mother now compares Bihar with Bidi! Does Tejaswi Yadav endorse this? From Revanth Reddy to DMK to Congress – their hatred for Bihar is evident,” Shehzad Poonawalla wrote.

GST reduced on bidis

Under the GST rate rationalisation by the GST Council on Wednesday, bidis will be taxed at 18%, down from the earlier 28%. The levy on bidi wrapper leaves or tendu was also cut from 18% to 5%.

The panel approved simplifying the GST from the current four slabs – 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%, to a two-rate structure – 5% and 18%. A special 40% slab is also proposed for a select few items such as high-end cars, tobacco, and cigarettes.