Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, slammed the government on Friday over a video in which a restaurant chain owner purportedly "apologised" to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for raising GST concerns, and said that when those in power's "fragile egos" are hurt, it appears humiliation is what they will deliver.
Several Congress lawmakers uploaded two films, one of which shows Annapoorna chain restaurant owner Srinivasan supposedly addressing worries over varied GST rates at an event on September 11. In the second video, Srinivasan seems to apologize in person to the Finance Minister. Gandhi stated that if this "arrogant government" listened to the people, they would realize that a simpler GST would alleviate the concerns of lakhs of enterprises.
Gandhi stated in a post on X that when the owner of a small company, such as Annapoorna restaurant in Coimbatore, requests a simpler GST system, his request is received with "arrogance and outright disrespect" from public personnel.
"Yet, when a billionaire friend seeks to bend the rules, change the laws, or acquire national assets, Modi Ji rolls out the red carpet," according to his claim.
"Our small company owners have already faced the consequences of demonetisation, an inaccessible banking system, tax extortion, and a terrible Goods & Services Tax. The last thing they deserve is more humiliation," Gandhi stat.
However, when people in power's delicate egos are damaged, it appears that humiliation is what they will deliver, according to the former Congress head.
He stated that MSMEs had been requesting assistance for years. "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 stated.
