‘B for Bidi, B for Bihar’: Congress Tweet Sparks Uproar, BJP Slams ‘Insult to Biharis’

A tweet by the Kerala Congress comparing bidis with the state of Bihar has ignited a major political firestorm, drawing a furious reaction from the BJP, which has slammed the post as a grave insult to the people of Bihar . The controversy erupted after the official X handle of the Kerala Congress posted a chart commenting on the recent GST reforms, which saw the tax on bidis reduced from 28% to 18% while taxes on other tobacco products were increased .

The post, intended to critique the tax policy, took a controversial turn with its caption. “Bidi and Bihar both start with ‘B’. Now they cannot be considered sins,” the tweet read, drawing an analogy that was immediately decried as derogatory . The BJP seized on the comment, accusing the Congress of harboring an “anti-Bihar mentality.”

Leading the charge, BJP spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala condemned the tweet, stating, “The Congress party has once again shown its anti-Bihar mentality. They have compared Bihar and Biharis to bidis. Think about what kind of mentality this is.” He further alleged a pattern of insults from the Congress and its allies, referencing past remarks by a DMK leader who allegedly called Biharis “pani puri sellers” and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s purported comments questioning the “DNA of Bihar.”

Poonawala also offered a sharp retort, saying, “If he says B for Bihar and B for bidi, then we can also say that C is Congress, C is corruption, sycophancy.” He declared that the people of Bihar would never forgive this insult from the Congress party, escalating the war of words and ensuring the controversy would have political repercussions