Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has sharply criticized Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after a video surfaced showing a restaurant owner apologizing to her for questioning the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Stalin claimed that the businessman made fair demands, calling Sitharaman's handling of the situation "shameful."
The incident occurred after the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit shared a video of Srinivasan, owner of the Annapoorna restaurant chain, sparking speculation that he had to apologize to Sitharaman following a public meeting in Coimbatore. During the meeting, Srinivasan, who also serves as the president of the Tamil Nadu Hotel Owners’ Association, raised concerns over the GST rates. He pointed out discrepancies like the 5% GST on sweets, 12% on savory items, and 18% on cream-filled buns, humorously adding, “Customers often complain, saying, ‘Just give me the bun, I’ll spread the cream and jam myself.’” The crowd responded with laughter.
After the video was made public, BJP leader K Annamalai apologized on behalf of the party's Tamil Nadu unit for the breach of privacy, stating, "I sincerely apologize for the actions of our functionaries who shared a private conversation between a respected business owner and our Hon. FM."
Stalin, however, continued his criticism, stating, "The way the Union minister handled it is a matter of shame because he made fair demands on GST. The central government's contribution has not yet been given." This follows Sitharaman's previous explanation that Tamil Nadu had received loan assistance from the Centre, which Stalin deemed insufficient.
Despite Sitharaman's assurances that the state had received financial aid to manage GST revenue shortfalls, Stalin remains vocal about the lack of concrete action from the Centre to address the concerns of Tamil Nadu’s business community.