Markandey Katju, a former judge of the Supreme Court recently made a joke about making Kashmir and Bihar a package deal for Pakistan, which many Biharis found offensive. However, his recent Facebook posts suggest that this backlash has only served to amuse Katju.
The social media war between Katju and Biharis started when he posted on his Facebook wall that "Pakistanis, let us end our dispute once and for all. We offer you Kashmir, but on the condition you also take Bihar. It is a package deal. You have to take the whole package or none at all. Either you take both Kashmir and Bihar, or nothing. We will not give you Kashmir alone. Deal?"
This infuriated many Indians for not only insulting the state of Bihar but also for making light of the Kashmir issue too soon after the Uri terrorist attacks. Many even told Katju that this joke only serves to expose his own pseudo-liberalism and perpetuating the "Bhaiya" stereotype of Biharis. Some even went to on to say the package deal should also include Katju, who would serve as a "mental bomb."
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Katju further addressed the issue and accused Biharis of lacking a sense of humour, after which he went on to post more sarcastic commentary on the North Indian state.
Amid all the insults Katju also clarified that Pakistan has refused his "package deal" and has apologised for even asking Kashmir.
