PATNA, Sept. 6 -- The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar is on the boil over a now deleted post on X from the handle of Kerala Congress, which linked Bidis (Inexpensive cigarettes made by rolling tobacco by hand with dried leaves from the tendu tree) put in the 18% GST bracket to Bihar, and termed it an insult of Biharis. "Bidis and Bihar start with B" and "cannot be considered a sin anymore", said the post, referring to the GST cut on the low-cost tobacco product mostly used by poor. As soon as the tweet was posted, it sparked a big backlash from the NDA in poll-bound Bihar, prompting quick retraction by the Kerala unit of Congress. The quote was deleted and senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar attributed it to hacking, while RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said that the he had not seen the tweet, but if there was any objectionable statement targeting Bihar, it was wrong. However, it was late by the time fire fighting began, as the BJP and the JD(U) wasted no time in launchinsg an attack on the Opposition alliance, accusing it of "losing no opportunity to belittle Bihar". JD(U) working president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Jha termed it "yet another shameful act by the Congress due to its negative mindset towards Bihar, where it has been reduced to a pillion rider of the RJD, and lack of geographical knowledge about the bidi-producing states". "I am surprised why the Congress in particular and its alliance in general always reaches the wrong end of the stick when it comes to Bihar. 'B' also stands for 'Budhi', which the Congress certainly lacks. 'B' also stands for Budget, which also evoked critical comments from them when a neglected Bihar got special assistance as part of PM's eastern push for development," he added. Jha said that the Congress would do well to first study Bihar. "In a desperate bid to belittle Bihar, the Congress has ended up mocking at country's grand history and democracy. Congress should know that Bihar is the land of Mata Janaki, Buddh, Mahavir and many others and where Mahatma Gandhi was transformed into 'Rashtrapita'. It is also the land that uprooted the Congress for emergency," he added. JD(U) spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar said the excuses for the Congress may vary, but the objective was always the same -- to insult Biharis 'this way or that way', and the self-respecting people of the state would give them a befitting response. "It has become matter of pride for the Mahagathbandhan. Tejashwi should answer if Bihar is the synonym for Bidi. Bihar is a place of knowledge and spirituality and the RJD-Congress combine can never understand the importance of self respect for Biharis," said Kumar. The JD(U) leader said that it was not an off-the-cuff remark, which could be dismissed lightly. "Be it Dayanidhi Maran, MK Stalin, Revanth Reddy, Raj Thackeray. there is a pattern, reflecting the mindset of the leaders of the Congress, RJD and their allies. The people of Bihar will show their self-respect through ballot to send them packing," he added. Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary termed at a deliberate and consistent insult of Bihar, barely a day after the state witnessed abuses hurled at the late mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the platform of the Congress. "They first insulted PM's late mother and insulted mothers and sisters of Bihar and instead of apologising now they have insulted the entire state. They are showing their true character and the people of Bihar will certainly show them theirs. And they will reveal their true face again," he added. BJP spokesman Guru Prakash said that Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and others should speak, because "out of desperation after seeing the writing on the wall, the Opposition is losing control over tongue, which happens when one loses faith in one's abilities or finds the battle tough". LJP-R chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan said that the what Kerala Congress has done was the mindset of the Congress in general. "They are always at it. How low their language could stoop needs to be seen," he added. Hindustani Awam Morcha State President Anil Kumar said that what Kerala Congress did was just an extension of the consistent practice of the grand old party to show hatred towards Bihar and Biharis. "Insulting the people of Bihar is in Congress leaders' blood. They have always spoken negatively about Bihari children, youth, doctors, engineers, or anyone who goes to other states or abroad. People from across India move to different places, but when it comes to Bihar, Congress leaders repeatedly show hatred," he added....