New Delhi: The Congress seems to have shot itself in the foot while attempting to relate the GST rates restructuring to the Assembly elections in Bihar, scheduled for later this year. A major political row has erupted over the remark ‘Bidis and Bihar start with B’ in an X post by the Kerala unit of the party.
Though the post was subsequently deleted, the BJP latched on to it, calling out the Congress for insulting the people of Bihar.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Bihar deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha called the statement “shameful” and an “insult” to the people of Bihar. He asserted that Bihar is the pride of India, being the birthplace of many religions and home to ancient centres of learning like Nalanda and Vikramashila.
“This is unfortunate. The entire country will give a reply to such an insult to Biharis. Bihar has been the symbol of pride of the children of Maa Bharati. People do not have the knowledge that Bihar has been the architect of ‘Akhand Bharat’, it has been the land of knowledge and science, and this is the land of origin of several religions…By raising questions on Bihar, they are questioning the entire country. Those who question the nation are traitors,” he said.
Calling such behaviour “unpatriotic” and “unconstitutional”, Sinha demanded action against those who insult any state or its people. “Those who question any state and insult it cannot be the children of Maa Bharati. Such people deserve punishment, action should be taken,” he said.
Union minister Nityanand Rai also launched a scathing attack on the Congress, stating that the party takes “pleasure” in insulting Bihar and its people. The Ujiarpur MP said that people of Bihar will teach a lesson to everyone who has the intention to hurt Bihar and its “self-respect”.
“Congress leaders across the country and all RJD leaders in Bihar take pleasure in insulting Biharis. They take pride in humiliating Biharis and Bihari pride. People of Bihar will teach a lesson to all such people who hurt Biharis and their self-respect…What will they (Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav) say (about this), it is they who make them say all this,” Rai said.
The ‘X’ post by the Kerala Congress targeted the recent GST reforms in which cigars, cigarettes and tobacco will be taxed at 40% instead of 28% from September 22. Bidis have, however, been moved from 28% to 18%. The Congress was trying to establish that this was done to keep the common man in Bihar happy ahead of the elections in the state.