“When Egos In Power Are Hurt…”: Rahul Gandhi On Annapoorna Owner's 'Apology' To Sitharaman (image-twitter/INCIndia)
A video has recently gone viral on social media allegedly showing Srinivasan, the MD of the famous Annapoorna Hotel in Tamil Nadu, apologising to Financial Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after his criticism of GST complexities.
The incident led to widespread backlash against the BJP on social media. Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, responding to the controversy, stated when the egos of those in power hurt, “It seems humiliation is exactly what they’ll deliver.”
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Rahul Gandhi, slamming the actions of the finance minister, stated that when the owner of a small business asks a public servant for a simplified GST, the request is met with arrogance and outright disrespect.
“When the owner of a small business, like Annapoorna restaurant in Coimbatore, asks our public servants for a simplified GST regime, his request is met with arrogance and outright disrespect”.
When the owner of a small business, like Annapoorna restaurant in Coimbatore, asks our public servants for a simplified GST regime, his request is met with arrogance and outright disrespect.
Yet, when a billionaire friend seeks to bend the rules, change the laws, or acquire…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 13, 2024
If a billionaire comes in seeking to bend rules or to acquire national assets, Narendra Modi immediately rolls out the red carpet, the Congress leader alleged.
In his X post, he also highlighted the issues faced by small businessmen due to inaccessible banking system, demonetization, tax extortion and disastrous GST. “The last thing they deserve is further humiliation,” he added.
“MSMEs have been asking for relief for years. If this arrogant government would listen to the people they would understand that a simplified GST with a single tax rate would solve the problems of lakhs of businesses,” he concluded the post.
During an interaction session held with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a video of an exchange between Srinivasan and Sitharaman gained widespread attention. The BJP cell has shared a video showing the entrepreneur allegedly apologizing to her after pointing out the inconsistent GST rates.
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In the meeting, many entrepreneurs raised concerns regarding GST rates, loan schemes, and other key issues impacting their businesses. Representing the hoteliers, Srinivasan, the owner of Sree Annapurna Hotel, pointed out the confusion caused by inconsistent GST rates, which applied differently to items on the same bill, leading to customer dissatisfaction.
