Post ‘Bihar and Bidi’ row, digital media cell of Cong in Kerala to be revamped

Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 6 A day after a social media post from the official X handle of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) sparked outrage by comparing Bihar with bidis, the party has decided to revamp its digital media cell.

Announcing the move on Saturday, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said a new team would soon be constituted to head the social media wing.

The digital cell of the party was earlier headed by Dr P. Sarin, who quit the Congress last year to join the CPI(M) and unsuccessfully contested the Palakkad assembly bypoll.

After Sarin left, the post was held by two-time former Congress legislator V.T. Balaram.

The controversy surfaced from a deleted post by @INCKerala that read: “Bidis and Bihar start from B. Cannot be considered a sin anymore.”

Soon after the deletion, another post came with an apology. “We see that our jibe at Modi’s election gimmick with GST rates is being twisted. Our apologies if you felt hurt."

Following the outbreak of the ‘Bihar and Bidi’ controversy, Balaram, who is based in his hometown in Palakkad, expressed his desire to be relieved of the post as he was not able to spend enough time as the convenor of the digital wing of the KPCC.

Balaram said he was not even aware of such a post.

Now, Sunny Joseph, the KPCC president, has announced that a new team would be constituted to head the digital wing of the party.

Incidentally, soon after the controversy surfaced, KPCC working president and senior legislator A.P. Anil Kumar told IANS that it was not an official response of the party, and the general norm for those manning the social media account is that every post gets cleared officially.

The episode drew sharp criticism from several NDA leaders in Bihar, while RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, too, expressed his displeasure.

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