Overview

• The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee removed the X post linking Bihar to bidis and issued a public apology, calling the message a mistake.
• State party chief Sunny Joseph said the Kerala social media cell will be reconstituted after a lapse in judgment on the post.
• VT Balram stepped down as head of the KPCC digital wing following the backlash, according to party announcements and multiple reports.
• BJP and Bihar NDA leaders condemned the message as an insult to the state, while RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and other allies distanced themselves and called for an apology.
• The deleted post referenced GST changes that cut the bidi rate to 18% and raised slabs on cigarettes and some tobacco products to 40%, a flashpoint now feeding Bihar’s pre-election rhetoric.