‘When fragile egos of…’: Rahul targets PM Modi over ‘apology’ from Annapoorna eatery owner | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government over a video in which a restaurant chain owner was seen ‘apologetically’ offering his apologies to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for raising concerns over the GST.
Gandhi said, “When the fragile egos of those in power are hurt, they seem likely to bring humiliation.”
In one of the videos now going viral on social media, from an event on September 11, Srinivasan, the owner of the Annapoorna restaurant chain, was seen allegedly raising issues over the various GST rates. In the second video, Srinivasan was reportedly seen personally apologizing to the finance minister.
Gandhi claimed that if the “arrogant government” listened to the people, it would realise that a simplified GST could solve the challenges faced by countless businesses.
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the government’s response via the social media platform X.
“As a small business owner, such as Annapoorna Restaurant “When Gandhi asked our officials in Coimbatore for a simplified GST regime, his request was met with arrogance and outright contempt,” Gandhi wrote in a message.
“But if a billionaire friend wants to circumvent the rules, change the laws or acquire national assets, Modi Ji rolls out the red carpet,” he added.
Gandhi further highlighted the challenges faced by small entrepreneurs, including demonetisation, an inaccessible banking system, tax extortion and a problematic GST. He argued that these entrepreneurs deserve better treatment and should not be humiliated for raising their concerns.
The Congress leader also pointed out that MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) have been seeking relief for years. He suggested that if the government listened to the people, they would understand that a simplified GST with a single tax rate could solve the problems of numerous businesses.
“But when the fragile egos of those in power are hurt, it seems they will bring humiliation,” he wrote in a message.
“SMEs have been asking for relief for years. If this arrogant government listened to the people, they would understand that a simplified GST with a single tax rate would solve the problems of hundreds of thousands of businesses,” he added in his message.