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KOVAI HOTELIER APOLOGISIN­G TO NIRMALA COOKS UP POLITICAL STORM

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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.

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.

…absolute arrogancet­he one that has become the hallmark of the BJP. Shouldn’t arrogant ministers be sacked?? – Aaditya Thackeray,

SS (UBT) leader

The Union government and Union Ministers should not hurt the self-esteem of Tamils – K Kanimozhi MP,

 ?? ?? who quoted a Tirukkural couplet
who quoted a Tirukkural couplet
 ?? ??

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