Bidi tax controversy in bihar: A big ruckus arose in Bihar politics when a post came on the official social media handle of Kerala Congress. Satire on the decision to reduce tax on bidi after GST reforms, Kerala Congress wrote, “B to Bidi and B to Bihar.” This one tweet highly made the political mercury of Bihar high. BJP, JDU and Hum Party surrounded the Congress, calling it an attack on Bihari Asmita, and so, this post also put the Congress’s biggest ally Tejashwi Yadav in an uncomfortable position.
Tejashwi Yadav’s tough message: ‘Bihari does not play with self -respect’
When reporters questioned Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav about this disputed post, he initially said that he had not seen that post. But, he immediately made it clear that, “It is not right for anyone to play with the self -respect of Bihar.” Tejashwi, in his small statement, gave a clear message to the Congress party that such statements can harm his alliance. Tejashwi’s statement also shows how sensitive the issue of ‘self -respect’ is in Bihar, and no political party can take it lightly.
Congress cleaning: ‘Account was hacked’
In view of the anger of its allies and public in Bihar, the Congress immediately started damage control. Senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar clarified the matter. He said that “there is election in Bihar, such a statement cannot come from the Congress.” He claimed that the Twitter account of the Kerala Congress was hacked. Tariq Anwar also said that no political person can give such a statement and he will talk to the leaders of Kerala Congress in this matter. According to some media reports, the disputed post has been removed and the Kerala Congress has also apologized for this.
Why this dispute started?
The entire controversy began after the 56th meeting of the GST Council. In this meeting, tax on bidi was reduced to 18%, while tax on cigarettes and cigars was increased to 40%. The Kerala Congress tweeted a disputed tweet, satirizing this decision. However, this tweet was considered a direct attack on Bihari Asmita due to the bidi industry having a deep connection with Bihar.
