Congress Slams Centre Over Video of Restaurant Owner Apologising to Sitharaman

New Delhi: The Congress attacked the Centre on Friday after a video surfaced showing the owner of a restaurant chain, Srinivasan, allegedly "apologising" to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman for raising concerns about the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Rahul Gandhi took to social media, calling the incident an example of "fragile egos" delivering "humiliation," while the Opposition party demanded an apology from the finance minister.

In a post on 'X', Gandhi expressed outrage over the treatment of Srinivasan, the managing director of Coimbatore's iconic Annapoorna restaurant chain. "When the owner of a small business like Annapoorna asks for a simplified GST regime, his request is met with arrogance and disrespect," Gandhi wrote. He further criticised the government for showing preferential treatment to billionaires, stating that "when a billionaire friend seeks to bend the rules, Modi Ji rolls out the red carpet."

The controversy began when Srinivasan, representing the Tamil Nadu Hotels Association, humorously criticised the complexity of the GST system during a public meeting, drawing laughter from the audience. He highlighted the confusion caused by varying GST rates, using the example of a bun and cream, where the tax rate jumps to 18 per cent when cream is added to a bun, causing customers to request the items separately.

The following day, Srinivasan met Sitharaman in a private meeting, along with BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan. A video later surfaced showing Srinivasan apologising to the finance minister, shared by Tamil Nadu BJP functionary Balaji M.S.. This led to accusations that he had been pressured into apologising for his comments.

Congress leaders condemned the video, calling it an act of intimidation. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised Sitharaman, saying the "disgraceful humiliation" of Srinivasan revealed the "arrogance of power," and accused her of repeatedly offending in public interactions.

In an attempt to defuse the situation, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai issued a statement apologising on behalf of the party. He expressed regret for the sharing of the private conversation, calling Srinivasan "a pillar of Tamil Nadu's business community" and urged people to respect him and let the matter rest.