Kerala: Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) social media chief VT Balaram resigned on Saturday following widespread criticism over a controversial social media post linking Bihar with bidis. The post, which stated “B for beedi, B for Bihar,” drew sharp criticism from political leaders in Bihar and beyond, prompting the Congress party to delete it and issue a formal apology.

VT Balaram, a former two-time MLA from Kerala’s Thrithala constituency, also serves as the Vice President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and had been heading the party’s social media and digital cell.

The controversial post was shared in the context of recently announced Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms. It included a statement: “Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered a sin anymore,” referring to the proposal to reduce GST rates on bidis and remove them from the ‘sin goods’ category, which attracts the highest 40% GST slab. Alongside the post, the KPCC shared a chart showing that tax on cigars and cigarettes increased from 28% to 40%, tobacco from 28% to 40%, and bidis were reduced from 28% to 18%.

The post backfired, leading to strong reactions from political leaders. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary called it “an insult to the entire Bihar.” JDU leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha criticized the Congress, terming it “another extremely shameful act,” while RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav distanced his party, calling the post “wrong” and clarifying that his party does not support it.

Responding to the backlash, the Kerala Congress stated, “We see that our jibe at Modi’s election gimmick with GST rates is being twisted. Our apologies if you felt hurt.” Following the controversy, VT Balaram submitted his resignation from the party’s social media head position, taking responsibility for the post.