The finance minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, has often been subjected to questions and scrutiny at public events for her policies. One of the biggest Achilles heel has been the GST rates in the country. Many have often raised concerns and questions over different permutations and combinations of the GST rates in India.
Coimbatore Restaurateur Raises Concerns
Recently, a similar instance of the FM being questioned came to pass. The FM was in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore region. During the interaction, one of the attendees stood up and enquired of the FM about the GST rates in the country. He highlighted varying price rates of commodities and the GST rates attached to them.
The man who has been identified as Annapoorna Srinivasan even gave an anecdote in the matter, wherein he referred to the matter of a bun in a bakery. Srinivasan said the bun has a particular GST rate, and the cream inside the bun has another rate. He pointed out a certain dissonance in the rates on the products.
Restaurateur Apologises
In another video that has surfaced since then, Annapoorna Srinivasan is seen meeting the FM later on and also conveying his 'apology.'
In the video, he reportedly apologised and said, "I do not belong to any party, please excuse me".
Rahul Gandhi Reacts
Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi has also jumped in the matter. Gandhi took to X to talk on the issue. He said, "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 national assets, Modi Ji rolls out the red carpet."
Gandhi further added, "Our small business owners have already endured the blows of demonetisation, an inaccessible banking system, tax extortion and a disastrous GST. The last thing they deserve is further humiliation."
