Kerala Congress Social Media Chief Quits After Party's 'Bidi-Bihar' Post Backfires

Thiruvananthapuram (The Uttam Hindu): A social media post about 'bidi and Bihar' has put the Congress party on the back foot. Amid the political uproar after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called it an insult to Biharis, the Kerala Congress has not only apologized, but its social media chief and former MLA VT Balaram has also resigned from his post.

The Kerala unit of the Congress recently posted on its official 'X' handle, saying that bidi and Bihar start with 'B', and now it cannot be considered a sin. As soon as this post came to light, the BJP reacted sharply and called it a grave insult to all Biharis. The post was removed on Friday after mounting political pressure.

Clarifying the matter on Saturday, Kerala Congress (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph admitted that the party's social media team had made a mistake and lacked vigilance while posting the post. He told a TV channel, "The post has been removed. The persons responsible have withdrawn it and apologised. Congress does not support it."

Earlier on Friday, the party had said in a new post, "Our jibe at Modi's election gimmick on GST rates is being twisted. If you are hurt, we apologize."

Taking responsibility for the entire controversy, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) social media and digital cell chief VT Balaram has resigned from his post. Balaram has been a two-time MLA from Kerala's Thrithala constituency and was in charge of the party's digital media cell.