Coimbatore hotelier 'forced' to apologise to FM Nirmala, row cooks up political storm

COIMBATORE: The alleged humiliation of a respected hotelier by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP cooked up a storm across the country, with opposition leaders, including leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, joining the issue, prompting the Saffron party to undertake damage control measures.

The row was triggered by the video of a meeting with the Union Minister on Wednesday, during which D Srinivasan, the owner of the famous Annapurna chain of restaurants, said how a bun doesn’t attract GST, but when cream is applied to make it a cream bun, it adds 12 per cent GST. “Customers say you give bun and cream separately, I will make the cream bun,” he said.

He also jocularly referred to Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, who was sitting next to the Finance Minister, into the issue by saying, “Vanathi ‘amma’ comes to our hotel to have sweet and savouries. She quips that the GST for sweets has been fixed at five per cent as people in North India consume more sweets, while karam (savouries) attract 12 per cent GST.”

Replying to the GST dig while addressing the media, Nirmala Sitharaman said she isn’t bothered by such criticisms and the GST Council has been working to simplify GST and reduce burden on people.

“The hotelier’s talk will only provide fodder to those opposed to the GST. How could a value-added product and raw item be taxed uniformly? The rates are fixed only in consensus of the GST council comprising representatives from all states,” she said.

A day later, the BJP IT wing members circulated another video in which Srinivasan seeks apology to the Union Minister by saying, “I do not belong to any political party.”

The issue gained national focus on Friday, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lashing out at the BJP government for its arrogance and outright disrespect of a businessman.

“Our small business owners have already endured the blows of demonetization, an inaccessible banking system, tax extortion and a disastrous GST. The last thing they deserve is further humiliation. When the fragile egos of those in power are hurt, it seems humiliation is exactly what they’ll deliver,” he said in a post in X.

Joining the issue, AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathiyan asked if BJP threatened the hotelier to tender an apology. “The people of Tamil Nadu will teach a lesson to BJP for their arrogance in the 2026 Assembly polls,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, in a post said, had the BJP been voted with majority, this person would have faced a bulldozer, and yet even without majority, they (BJP) indulge in such arrogant behaviour. “Shouldn’t such an arrogant minister be sacked,” he asked.