'Bihar-Bidi' post row: Kerala Congress admits 'mistake'; social media head meets party leaders

NEW DELHI: VT Balram, who is in charge of the Kerala Congress social media wing, met party leaders on Saturday after a controversy erupted over the unit X post comparing poll-bound Bihar to a 'bidi' in a swipe at the rival BJP.Meanwhile, some reports have suggested that Blaram has stepped down from his post amid the controversy, which has also upset RJD, Congress's key ally in Bihar."Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered a sin anymore," the party had posted in an apparent dig at the central government's GST reforms, which brought down the tax rates on bidis to 18%, much lower than cigarettes and other tobacco products that carry 40% GST. This comes after Sunny Joseph, chief of the Kerala Congress unit, admitted the "mistake" and "lack of caution" while posting the "bidis and Bihar" jibe on social media.Joseph said the 'X' post was deleted and an apology was tendered by the social media team as directed by the state leadership.Kerala state unit of the Congress in a recent post on X, allegedly drew parallels between Bihar and Bidi (a tobacco product) in the wake of the recent GST reforms, and triggered sharp reactions from the BJP."The post has been deleted. The responsible persons - admin of the social media handle and the person who operates it, withdrew it and tendered an apology. The Congress does not endorse that," Sunny Joseph told a TV channel.While replying to a question, he also said there was a mistake and a lack of caution in putting out such a post.The matter was taken up with former legislator V T Balram, who is in charge of KPCC's digital media cell, Joseph added."Our jibe at Modi's election gimmick with GST rates is being twisted. Our apologies if you felt hurt," the party said in a fresh X post on Friday. Union minister Chirag Paswan attacked the Congress party on Friday, accusing them of "defaming" the people of Bihar by comparing them to 'bidis.' Paswan said that the comments by Kerala Congress are indicative of the whole party's "thinking", which is leaving no stone unturned to "defame" the people of the state.Demanding an answer from the opposition party, he told news agency ANI, "This is not just the thinking of Kerala Congress, it is the thinking of the Congress party. They have never left any stone unturned in defaming Biharis.""The Congress's mindset has always been against Biharis. Congress needs to answer how low they will stoop in terms of language for political gains," he added.