Kerala Congress leader VT Balram has resigned as the party’s state social media head after a controversial post triggered widespread backlash from political leaders across the country.
Balram, a two-time legislator from Thrithala, stepped down on Friday, a day after the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) official handle on X (formerly Twitter) shared a post linking Bihar with bidis in reference to recent changes in Goods and Services Tax (GST), reported NDTV.
The now-deleted post read: “Bidis and Bihar start from B. Cannot be considered a sin anymore.”
The remark, aimed at the GST Council’s decision to reduce tax on bidis from 28 per cent to 18 per cent while keeping higher levies on cigarettes, was quickly condemned as derogatory towards Bihar and its people. The eastern state is one of India’s largest centres of bidi production, with the industry employing an estimated 70 lakh workers nationwide.
The uproar was swift. Leaders of Bihar’s ruling NDA accused the Congress of insulting the state, while its ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) scrambled to distance itself from the controversy.
Balram, who had overseen KPCC’s social media operations since the resignation of Dr P Sarin last year, announced his decision to quit amid the escalating criticism.
The controversy erupted just days after the GST Council introduced significant reforms, simplifying the tax structure and altering rates for tobacco products. While cigarettes will continue to attract steeper duties, bidis saw their rate lowered to 18 percent, and tendu leaves, the wrappers used in bidi production, were taxed at only 5 percent.
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