On Saturday, the Kerala Congress was at the centre of a great controversy after a social media post suggesting that Bihar was associated with bidis created a lot of outrage. The official handle of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), in an attempt to make a jibe as it criticised the recent GST rate changes by the Centre, was condemned as derogatory and regionally insensitive.
This is the post that was deleted: Bidis and Bihar begin with B. Can no longer be sin. It is said to have been targeting a move taken by the Modi government to reduce GST on bidis. The comment, however, immediately went viral, causing an uproar of resentment, particularly among political leaders in Bihar. BJP leader and deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary condemned the post, saying that it was an insult to the state of Bihar as a whole. The leaders of the ruling alliance also accused the Congress of a cheap political attack.
KPCC president Sunny Joseph confessed that the post was in error, as criticism continued to mount. Talking to the media houses, Joseph stated: The post has been removed. The involved individuals – the administrator of the social media account and the individual who runs it – have removed this and issued an apology. That is not endorsed by Congress. He also suggested that caution had been lacking in the process of conveying delicate political messages.
VT Balram, the head of the party’s digital media cell in Kerala, also resigned because of the controversy. It was reported that the case was discussed within the company, and Balram resigned, accepting the lapse.
The case shows what irresponsible political communication during the digital era might have. What was clearly supposed to have been a sarcastic remark about the GST policy has now turned into a liability to the Congress.
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