Coimbatore restaurant owner’s apology to Nirmala Sitharaman draws criticism from political parties

D. Srinivasan of Sree Annapoorna Groups, Coimbatore, speaks during an interaction with Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Coimbatore on September 11, 2024.
| Photo Credit: M. Periasamy

A video of a leading Coimbatore-based restaurateur apologising to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for having raised issues related to the different rates of Goods and Services Tax (GST) for sweets, savouries, and bakery products at a meeting has drawn criticism from opposition leaders.

During an interaction of representatives from MSMEs and Chamber of Commerce in Coimbatore with Ms. Sitharaman on Wednesday, D. Sreenivasan, owner of the Sree Annapoorna Sree Gowrishankar Hotels in Coimbatore had raised the issue of different GST rates for sweets, savouries, and bakery products.

He told the Union Finance Minister about the challenges faced by hoteliers in billing by highlighting that a bun doesn’t attract GST, but a cream bun attracts 18% GST. His remarks about customers, in an effort to avoid the GST rate, wanting to buy bun and cream separately to make cream bun by themselves drew laughter from the audience.

Pointing to Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, who was also on the dais during the interaction, the hotelier said that she was a regular customer to his restaurant, and that he had discussed the issue with her. The video of Mr. Sreenivasan explaining the issue had gone viral on social media.

Video sparks criticism

On Thursday, another video of Mr. Sreenivasan meeting the Union Finance Minister, in the presence of Ms. Vanathi, and apologising for his remarks, was shared on social media. This drew strong responses from opposition parties.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi 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… 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.”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The disgraceful humiliation of a small businessman, the owner of Sree Annapoorna restaurant in Coimbatore, by the Finance Minister and the BJP, smacks of arrogance of power. She has been a repeated offender in such public interactions.”

Quoting a couplet from Thirukkural, DMK deputy general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi said the Union government and its Ministers should not tease the self-respect of Tamils.

Former AIADMK Minister D. Jayakumar said the hotelier had only expressed the challenges he faced and had not spoken anything wrong. “Summoning him to tender an apology was disgusting; and recording and releasing it as a video was the peak of fascism… The BJP will regret this incident even after a century, and people of Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu will not accept the party.”

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai said, “The incident is no surprise as Ms. Sitharaman had become a Minister through a backdoor entry by not contesting elections.”

In a damage-control measure, BJP state president K. Annamalai, who is currently abroad, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “I sincerely apologise for the actions of our functionaries who shared a private conversation between a respected business owner and our Hon. FM.” He spoke with Mr. Sreenivasan to express regret for “this unintended breach of privacy”.

Ms. Vanathi told mediapersons in Coimbatore that Mr. Sreenivasan had met Ms. Sitharaman and wanted to apologise to her directly. “Had it been a male MLA or a Minister would he have spoken so?,” she asked.

Coimbatore MP Ganapathi P. Rajkumar (DMK) told mediapersons that Annapoorna was part of Coimbatore’s identity. Mr. Sreenivasan’s address in “Kongu Tamil” was not accepted by the BJP. GST was a major issue for MSMEs in Coimbatore and almost 30% units were closed, he said.