Tamil Nadu entrepreneur apologises to Nirmala Sitharaman after his viral video criticising GST complexities
Srinivasan, who runs one of the most popular networks of restaurants in Coimbatore, was made to apologise to Sitharaman after he criticised the complexities around the Goods and Services Tax (GST). In a previous video Srinivasan was seen criticising the GST system, citing the complexity of different tax rates for various food items.
A video has gone viral on social media allegedly showing Srinivasan, the MD of Annapoorna Hotel in Tamil Nadu, apologising to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. In the video, Srinivasan, who is also the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Hotel Owners Federation, is seen apologising to Nirmala Sitharaman, saying, ¡°I do not belong to any party. Please excuse me.¡±
Annapoorna group chairman Srinivasan, His brand is one of the famous identities of Coimbatore
¡ª Ashish ?|.... (@Ashishtoots) September 13, 2024
He requested a simplified GST for food item
Arrogant FM #NirmalaSitharaman made him apologize inperson
"I don't belong to any party, please forgive me"
Next level of Fascism pic.twitter.com/imoyBlNbCx
What Srinivasan said about GST
The video was originally shared by Balaji MS, Social Media Cell State Convenor of the Tamil Nadu BJP. According to some claims on social media, Srinivasan, who runs one of the most popular networks of restaurants in Coimbatore, was made to apologise to Sitharaman after he criticised the complexities around the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
In a previous video that was widely shared by opposition politicians in Tamil Nadu, Srinivasan was seen criticising the GST system, citing the complexity of different tax rates for various food items.
Arrogance ?
¡ª Veena Jain (@DrJain21) September 13, 2024
Srinivasan, Owner of Sree Annapoorna brand from Coimbatore, requested for a Simplified GST on Food items
Nirmala Sitharaman acted like she took that light heartedly, But later She made him to apologize to satisfy her EGO#NirmalaSitharaman pic.twitter.com/93wGUvp3nG
¡°The MLA sitting on your side is our regular customer. She used to fight over our GST bill. Different GST rates for everything. 5 percent GST for sweet and 12 percent tax on spice. Different GST for the bun and different GST for the cream inside. Even the officials are confused by different GST, like the customers,¡± Srinivasan told Sitharaman at a recent event during an MSMEs meeting held in Coimbatore on September 11.
Reactions to Srinivasan's apology video
The video of Srinivasan's apology has been met with shock and anger on social media, with many calling out the arrogance of the Union Finance Minister.
Yesterday #AnnapoornaSrinivasan explains issues in GST Tax#NirmalaSitharaman ?#VanathiSrinivasan ?
¡ª Bhim Prabha Gandhi ???? (@BhimROCKY) September 12, 2024
After the video got backfired, the #Annapoorna owner is forced to apologize to them.
Now imagine what kind of troubles #VineshPhogat could have faced by BJP in Olympics final! pic.twitter.com/m0oe2EFjji
DMK MP Kanimozhi said that the Union government and the Union Ministers should not hurt the self-esteem of Tamil Nadu.
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¡ª Kanimozhi (???????) (@KanimozhiDMK) September 13, 2024
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- ????? 978, ???????? 98
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This is not the first time the BJP has found itself in an awkward spot when it comes to taxation in the southern region.
'Chaliye Puducherry ko Vanakkam'
The most famous such incident happened in December 2018 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was interacting with BJP workers from Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry.
Throwback to a time when a @BJP4Puducherry party worker asked PM Modi a question about middle class families
¡ª Sumit ? (@hi_essdee) June 27, 2023
His response was "Chaliye Puducherry Ko Vanakkam" pic.twitter.com/4HQXcyx8qd
When a man who introduced himself as Nirmal Kumar Jain stated that the middle class believed that the government was only busy collecting taxes and they did not get the relaxation they were hoping for, the PM, instead of responding to him, ended the interaction saying 'Chaliye Puducherry ko Vanakkam.¡¯
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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