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The Congress on Friday launched a multi-pronged attack on the government over a video of a restaurant chain owner purportedly "apologising" to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for voicing concerns about GST, with Rahul Gandhi saying "fragile egos" only deliver humiliation.
The opposition party also demanded an apology from the finance minister over the issue.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hit out at Sitharaman, saying the "disgraceful humiliation" of the owner of Sree Annapoorna restaurant chain smacks of "arrogance of power" and the minister "has been a repeat offender in such public interactions".
Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said that on behalf of the party's state unit, he sincerely apologises for the actions of "our functionaries who shared a private conversation between a respected business owner and the finance minister".
"I spoke with Thiru Srinivasan Avl, the esteemed owner of the Annapoorna chain of Restaurants, to express regret for this unintended breach of privacy. Annapoorna Srinivasan Anna is a pillar of Tamil Nadu's business community, contributing significantly to the state's and nation's economic growth. I request everyone to lay the matter to rest with due respect," Annamalai said.
Hitting out at the government, Kharge said it follows the policy of "tax terror" for poor and middle class and "tax cuts" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "crony friends".
"The owner asked a genuine question about Modi government's flawed GST and was first met with a condescending laugh by the FM and later forced to apologise to her on camera. MSMEs and Small Business owners are suffering the brunt of Modi government's repeated financial assaults in the form of a flawed GST and Demonetisation," Kharge said in a post on X.
The BJP is only committed to benefit Modi's large "crony friends", he alleged.
"From Day 1, the Congress party is saying that we need a simple, uniform, moderate and rational GST on essential items. In our 2024 Manifesto, we said, 'Congress will replace the GST laws enacted by the BJP/NDA government with GST 2.0. The new GST regime will be based on the universally accepted principle that GST shall be a single, moderate rate (with a few exceptions) that will not burden the poor'," Kharge said.
The Congress is strongly committed to this, he added.
The BJP's "loot small owners and shoot the messenger" policy spells a disaster for the nation's economy, Kharge said.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also slammed the government over the issue and said that when "fragile egos" of those in power are hurt, it seems humiliation is what they will deliver.
In a post on X, Gandhi said when the owner of a small business, like Annapoorna restaurant in Coimbatore, asks 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," he alleged.
"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," Gandhi said.
But when the fragile egos of those in power are hurt, it seems humiliation is exactly what they will deliver, the former Congress chief said.
"If this arrogant government would listen to the people they would understand that a simplified GST with a single tax rate would solve the problems of lakhs of businesses," Gandhi said
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said a meeting was organised by the BJP as part of its membership drive, where people from all walks of life were invited to meet Sitharaman.
Two videos were played out at the press conference at the AICC headquarters.
"In the first video, during the meeting, Mr. Srinivasan, owner of the renowned Sree Annapoorna restaurant chain, highlighted the absurdity of varying GST rates... This illogical system burdens businesses and even tax officials with tedious calculations," Shrinate said.
Instead of addressing these concerns, the finance minister mocked him on stage, she alleged.
In the second video, within 24 hours, Srinivasan was forced to apologise in person, and the BJP Tamil Nadu's official handle shared the surreptitiously recorded video, Shrinate said.
If people are not allowed to voice their concerns to public servants, how will governance and policy-making happen, she asked.
"The government put Rs 4 lakh crore in the pockets of India's rich billionaires, who didn't create a single job, through tax exemptions. Meanwhile, small and medium enterprises are being humiliated and disrespected," Shrinate said.
In a statement, All India Professionals' Congress chairman Praveen Chakravarty strongly condemned Sitharaman's "arrogant and shameful" behaviour with small business owners and called for an immediate course correction.
"The Modi government's arrogant behaviour towards small business owners harms India's economy and is the principal reason for lack of jobs for hundreds of millions of youth that are in despair," Chakravarty said.
While an apology from the finance minister is warranted for this particular incident, it is equally important for the government to mend its ways and be more humble and cooperative with the business fraternity to spur private investment and create jobs, he said.