Kerala Cong's 'Biharis, bidis' jibe irks Tejashwi

Tweet on GST reforms reducing tax on bidis to 18% deleted quickly

- RAMASHANKAR @ Patna

A social media post by the Kerala Congress, likening Bihar to a bidi, has snowballed into a political storm in the state, with leaders cutting across party lines condemning the remark and demanding an apology.

The tweet, which read "Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered sin anymore", was deleted shortly after it appeared, but not before drawing sharp criticism from NDA leaders.

The comment was made in the context of recent GST reforms that reduced the tax rate on bidis from 28 to 18%, while increasing duties on cigars, cigarettes, and other tobacco products to 40 percent.