Annamalai Apologises After Video Of Annapoorna Owner’s Apology Sparks Row

BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai has issued an apology after the video of the managing director of Tamil Nadu’s famous Annapoorna hotel apologizing to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after questioning the public servant went viral on social media. The clip of the apology triggered a major controversy after the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit posted it on social media.

The opposition came forward alleging that Srinivasan was forced to apologize and the video was made public by the BJP to humiliate him.

Read also: “When Egos In Power Are Hurt…”: Rahul Gandhi On Annapoorna Owner’s ‘Apology’ To Sitharaman

The Congress and the DMK slammed the BJP for the “arrogance and outright disrespect” shown to Sri Annapoorna restaurant owner Srinivasan. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai regretted the party’s action to “breach privacy” by disclosing a private conversation.

In the apology video, Srinivasan was heard saying to Sitharaman: “I spoke only about those that were discussed in the association. I do not have any political party connections. Sorry, if I have said anything wrong.”

“On behalf of BJP Tamil Nadu, I sincerely apologise for the actions of our functionaries who shared a private conversation between a respected business owner and our Hon FM. I spoke with Thiru Srinivasan Avl, the esteemed owner of the Annapoorna chain of Restaurants, to express regret for this unintended breach of privacy,” Annamalai wrote on X.

On behalf of @BJP4TamilNadu, I sincerely apologise for the actions of our functionaries who shared a private conversation between a respected business owner and our Hon. FM.

I spoke with Thiru Srinivasan Avl, the esteemed owner of the Annapoorna chain of Restaurants, to express…

— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) September 13, 2024

The BJP chief had also praised Srinivasan for contributing significantly to the state’s and nation’s economic growth.

The video was shared by Tamil Nadu BJP convenor Balaji MS Balaji who wrote that Srinivasan had apologized for the “indecent” speech.

Read also: Tamil Nadu Businessman Allegedly Apologised To Nirmala Sitharaman After Raising GST Concerns

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of preferential treatment. Responding to the controversy, DMK MP Kanimozhi said the Union government and ministers should not spoil the self-esteem of Tamils.

Kerala Congress too had shared the video of Srinivasan’s speech at the conference on X and wrote that Sitharaman who had laughed at it on stage later forced the Annapoorna owner to apologise on video. “Master ji is intolerant to criticism and his minions are also acting like him, becoming extremely intolerant to criticism,” they wrote.