Congress leader VT Balram on Saturday said that he will step down as the head of the party’s social media wing in Kerala. He has informed KPCC president Sunny Joseph of his decision.

The decision comes after the party’s media wing faced criticism over a post on X that allegedly insulted Bihar while commenting on reduced GST rates for bidis. The post included a chart showing a proposed GST hike on cigars, cigarettes, and tobacco from 28 per cent to 40 per cent, and a reduction for bidis to 18 per cent, with the caption: "Bidis and Bihar begin with B. Cannot be considered a sin any more."

However, the Congress deleted the post soon after, but it drew sharp criticism from the BJP and even allies in the INDIA bloc, especially with the Bihar elections approaching.

KPCC President Sunny Joseph on Saturday said the incident should not have happened and urged that the social media team must exercise greater caution when posting such content. He added that Balram had informed him of his decision to step down from all responsibilities related to the party’s social media team.

He also added that the party has decided to restructure the social media team ahead.

Balram clarified that his decision to step down was planned earlier and is not related to the Bihar-bidi controversy. "The decision to revamp the social media team was taken much earlier and was communicated to the KPCC president when he assumed office. It has nothing to do with the controversy," he told Manorama News.

However, Balram added that such a post should have been avoided. He also said he was unaware of the post at the time it was published.

He further clarified that no one had forced him to resign and that he himself had informed the party leadership about his decision. 

Balram said he has not been getting enough time to review or correct the content posted on the party’s social media handles. "The party needs a new social media team ahead of the upcoming local body and assembly polls. I have submitted a detailed report recommending a revamp of the social media team," he said.