BJP's Samrat Choudhary said the "true character" of Congress is "repeatedly being exposed"
- Congress Kerala unit sparked controversy with a social media post on "bidis and Bihar"
- In a now-deleted post, Congress said "Bidis and Bihar start with B" and "cannot be considered a sin anymore"
- The post was in reference to the GST cut on the tobacco product
The Kerala unit of Congress has sparked a huge row with a social media post on the Centre's Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms. In a now-deleted post on X, the Congress said that "Bidis and Bihar start with B" and "cannot be considered a sin anymore", referring to the GST cut on the tobacco product.
Defending the post, former Congress MP Raashid Alvi questioned the Centre why it reduced tax on bidis to 18 per cent.
"The BJP has reduced taxes only because of the upcoming Bihar (assembly) elections," he told NDTV, calling the move "very unfortunate".
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.
Sanjay Kumar Jha, a member of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United (JDU), called it "another extremely 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 receives special assistance," he posted on X in Hindi.
"By making a mockery of Bihar, the Congress has not only insulted the people of Bihar once again, but has also mocked the glorious history of the country and democracy," the Rajya Sabha MP added.
"Believe me, the great people of Bihar will give a befitting reply to the repeated insults by the Congress in the upcoming assembly elections," he said, referring to polls due in November-December this year.
BJP's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed Congress and said the post reflects the party's "anti-Bihar mentality".
"If they're saying B for Bidis and B for Bihar, then they should also know C for Congress and C for corruption," Mr Poonawalla said in a video statement.
GST Reduced On Bidis
As per the new rates decided by the GST Council on Wednesday, bidis will now attract a tax of 18 per cent, as opposed to the earlier rate of 28 per cent.
The GST Council also reduced the rates on bidi wrapper leaves, also known as tendu, from 18 per cent to 5 per cent.
The panel approved simplifying the GST from the current four slabs - 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent, to a two-rate structure - 5 and 18 per cent.
A special 40 per cent slab was also proposed for a select few items such as tobacco and cigarettes.
