From Voter Rights to Beedi: Bihar’s Political Discourse Takes A Sharp Turn

Bihar’s political battle seems to be shifting from the voter rights controversy to the beedi controversy. The National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) alliance is trying to puncture the momentum created by the INDIA bloc’s 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' by aggressively raising the issue of the beedi remark.

The controversy began when the Kerala Congress social media unit recently posted a graphic on Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms, stating: “Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered a sin anymore.”

The post referred to the central government’s decision to reduce GST on beedis from 28% to 18%, while increasing the tax on cigarettes to 40%. What was intended as a satirical take on tax policy quickly snowballed into a political storm in Bihar.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United), or JD(U),  immediately seized on the post, calling it an insult to Bihari society, and launched attacks on the INDIA bloc. Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary accused the Congress of harboring an anti-Bihar mindset, while BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla went a step further, calling the Congress’s very DNA “anti-Bihar.” He demanded that the INDIA bloc clarify whether it stood by such an insult or not.

The uproar forced the INDIA bloc, which had been on the political front foot in Bihar after the Voter Adhikaar Yatra, onto the defensive. RJD leader and former Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav termed the post “unfortunate,” demanded an apology from the Congress, and publicly distanced his party from the remarks. His statement made clear that the controversy had created unease within the INDIA bloc.

The Congress was compelled to delete the post and issue an apology. Kerala Congress described it as a “mistake and lack of caution,” and its social media chief V.T. Balram even resigned.

Still, the party did not accept that the post was inherently wrong. Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar told Outlook that the BJP was rattled by the growing trust in Congress and Rahul Gandhi following the SIR issue, and was trying to dilute the real debate with a “negative distraction.”

On the beedi controversy itself, Kumar insisted: “There was nothing wrong in that tweet. It was in English, and many English words have multiple synonyms in Hindi. The BJP twisted its meaning for propaganda. Our intention was never to insult anyone. If anything, the focus should be on helping beedi workers rather than encouraging tobacco consumption.” On deleting the post, he added: “That was our magnanimity. We cannot control Tejashwi Yadav’s opinion.”

The BJP, however, is determined to keep the issue alive. Former BJP MLA Prem Ranjan Patel said, “The Congress has always had a contemptuous mindset toward Bihar, and this will certainly be an election issue. Biharis know how to avenge their insult.” Patel added that this was part of a larger pattern: from Telangana CM Revanth Reddy’s remark about Bihari DNA to DMK leaders’ “toilet cleaner” jibe at migrants, Congress and its allies had repeatedly insulted Bihar. “In their eyes, beedi-smoking Biharis are low-level while cigarette smokers are high-level. For us, B stands for Bihar and for Bharat — which makes India proud.”

 Yet experts doubt whether this controversy will have long-term electoral impact. Pushpendra, former professor at TISS Patna, argued: “The post was originally a jab at the central government regarding beedi workers. The BJP exploited it smartly, but I don’t think it will last as an election issue. Larger concerns like SIR, migration, and unemployment will dominate. The BJP managed to amplify it because of its strong media machinery, but Congress’s quick apology and deletion of the post have limited its scope.”

Even the RJD now believes the matter is closed. Party spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said: “Our stand is clear — we oppose any insult to Bihar or Biharis. After Tejashwi Yadav’s statement, Congress expressed regret and deleted the post. The issue is over. If the BJP still tries to stretch it, it is their failed attempt. They should also explain why PM Narendra Modi once questioned Nitish Kumar’s DNA — which was an insult to 14 crore Biharis. Where was the BJP then, or when Biharis were insulted and attacked in Gujarat and Maharashtra?”

The beedi remark briefly unsettled the INDIA bloc and gave the BJP a sharp talking point, but its longevity as an election issue remains doubtful. While the BJP will continue to brand it as an insult to Bihari pride, larger concerns like unemployment, migration, and the SIR controversy are likely to overshadow it in the long run.