Incidentally, Srinivasan used the example of the same cream buns to explain the issues with the GST regime, in the interaction with Nirmala Sitharaman.
Published Sep 14, 2024 | 1:27 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 14, 2024 | 3:44 PM
Annapoorna restraunt's cream bun. (Screengrab)
A couple of days after videos of Srinivasan, Managing Director of Sri Annapoorna Restaurant, questioning Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding the GST regime, and later apologising to her were widely circulated on social media, mostly by BJP-leaning handles, the restaurant came up with a new promotional video.
The video shared as an Instagram reel on Friday, 13 September, is promoting their cream buns, with the tagline, “That’s trending across India.” The reel’s caption further reads, “Cream + Bun= Cream-Bun”
Incidentally, Srinivasan used the example of the same cream buns to explain the issues with the GST regime, in the interaction with Nirmala Sitharaman.
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The same video was posted on X, and Facebook too. However, on X, they allegedly posted the reel initially with the hashtags “GST, and Nirmala Sitharaman”, which they deleted and reposted without those hashtags. However, at around 1:00 PM on 14 September, there is no post regarding the cream buns on their official X handle.
On Instagram too, the caption says it has been edited, however, it doesn’t show the edit history.
This further raises the question, of whether there was any re-intimidation, or was it due to something else.
Srinivasan had on 11 September raised issues about the GST regime at a meeting attended by the minister in Coimbatore. He pointed out the discrepancies in taxing sweet and spicy food. Srinivasan is also the President of the Tamil Nadu Hotel Owners’ Association.
Calling for uniform GST on all food items, especially in Tamil Nadu, Srinivasan said, “There is five percent GST on sweets but 12 percent on savouries, and 18 percent on cream-filled buns, whereas there is no GST on buns! Customers often complain, saying, ‘Just give me the bun, I’ll spread the cream and jam myself,’” sparking a peal of laughter from the audience.
“In Tamil Nadu, we call it sweet karam coffee (sweets, savouries, and coffee). So madam, please make it uniform,” he said.
However, the question didn’t go well with the BJP. They circulated the video of Srinivasan apologising to Sitharaman.“I spoke only about those that were discussed in the association. I do not belong to any political party. Sorry, if I have said anything wrong,” Srinivasan was heard in the video.
Soon the video went viral, and the BJP in Tamil Nadu was criticised by the DMK, and Congress for making a business owner apologise to the minister, for merely putting forward their issues, and questioning.
Even as the BJP came under fire from politicians and netizens, the party’s state president K Annamalai spoke to Srinivasan and regretted the circulation of the video that shared a “private conversation” with the finance minister.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula with inputs from Baskar P)
