'Trying To Act Smart?', 'Extremely Bad Taste': Netizens Fume Over Kerala Congress's Apology For 'Bihar and Bidi' Post

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee has issued an apology for its deleted post comparing Bihar to bidis (tobacco).

"We see that our jibe at Modi's election gimmick with GST rates is being twisted. Our apologies if you felt hurt," the Kerala Congress wrote in its X post, accompanied by a picture of a news article on the government slashing the GST on bidis to 18 percent while increasing the GST for cigarettes and gutkha to 40 percent.

Netizens Fume Over Kerala Congress's Apology Post

Netizens were unconvinced by the apology and further criticized the Congress party for insulting Biharis.

In response to the post, one X user wrote, "Nobody Twisted anything. Reducing Bihar’s identity to ‘Beedi’ is not humour, it’s humiliation. Congress clearly insulted Bihar. Also,  consumption is much less than many other states."

"U mentioned Bihar in that , u demeaned us , u stereotyped Biharis , the man behind this account should not be spared at any cost," wrote another user by tagging the social media handles of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Kanhaiya Kumar.

A third user wrote, "Feeling ashamed to issue a proper apology? Trying to act smart? You forgot C for Congress but there are many C for other words which you will not like."

"You don’t twist your words now, it was clearly hate towards Bihar and its people. Congress has made another blunder," said a fourth user.

"How is GST on Bidi & Bihar related that you connected both with alphabets in names?," a fifth user replied.

Another X user commented, "Buddhi begins with B too—clearly Congress bypassed it. Bihar gave the world Buddha, but Congress gave India a Balak Buddhi."

Another remarked, "This isn’t about ‘feeling hurt’, it’s about the mindset that allows you to mock an entire state for cheap wordplay. Bihar doesn’t need pity-apologies, it deserves respect. Your tweet exposed what you really think of us — and voters know it well."

Bihar Leaders React To Kerala Congress's Post

On Congress Kerala's "Bidis and Bihar start with B..." post, Bihar Minister Mangal Pandey said, "If Congress party posted such a tweet, it is a grave insult to the people of Bihar. In whichever state Congress has been in power, Biharis have been insulted there. People of Congress view people of Bihar in a really wrong way. This is an insult to every Bihari. So, I condemn such statements."

Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha said, "This is unfortunate. The entire country will give a reply to such an insult to Biharis. Bihar has been the symbol of pride of the children of Maa Bharati. People do not have the knowledge that Bihar has been the architect of 'Akhand Bharat', it has been the land of knowledge and science, and this is the land of origin of several religions...By raising questions on Bihar, they are questioning the entire country. Those who question the nation are traitors...Those who question any state and insult it cannot be the children of Maa Bharati. Such people deserve punishment, action should be taken..."

MoS Home and BJP MP from Bihar, Nityanand Rai said, "Congress leaders across the country and all RJD leaders in Bihar take a pleasure in insulting Biharis. They take pride in humiliating Biharis and Bihari pride. People of Bihar will teach lesson to all such people who hurt Biharis and their self-respect...What will they (Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav) say (about this), it is they who make them say all this..."

How Did Congress Leaders React To the Post?

Asked on the post, Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said, “No state or residents of any state should be compared to such things. I have not seen that tweet or the context in which it was posted. But if they have done it, we will ask them to retract it because we will not tolerate this for people of any state.”

In response to Congress’s earlier criticisms of GST reforms, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sarcastically asked whether the Congress party was advocating for lower tax rates on products like bidi and gutkha.

“Are they demanding 5% GST on tobacco and gutkha?” she asked during a press conference.

Also Read: ‘Bidis and Bihar Start with B’: Kerala Congress Now-Deleted Post Sparks Outrage, BJP Slams ‘Insult to Entire State’