Tamil Nadu Congress Committee held a protest in Coimbatore condemning the BJP for forcing Annapoorna Srinivasan to apologize to the Union Finance Minister over GST concerns.
Coimbatore: The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) held a protest rally near Gandhi Park in R.S. Puram, Coimbatore, condemning the central BJP government for forcing prominent Tamil Nadu industrialist Annapoorna Srinivasan to personally apologize to the Union Finance Minister.
The protest was led by TNCC President Selvaperunthagai.
The incident that sparked the protest occurred when Annapoorna Srinivasan, owner of the popular Annapoorna restaurant chain, raised concerns about GST discrepancies in food items. Protesters raised slogans against the central government and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Addressing the gathering, TNCC President Selvaperunthagai said, "By humiliating Annapoorna owner Srinivasan, they have insulted not just him but all Tamils in Tamil Nadu. They are trying to suppress democracy and rule with an iron fist."
He criticized the central government for not providing financial aid to Tamil Nadu after flood assessments in Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, and Thoothukudi. Selvaperunthagai also accused the Finance Minister of urging devotees to put money in priests' plates instead of temple hundis during her recent temple visit.
The TNCC leader highlighted the central government's alleged neglect of Tamil Nadu, mentioning the delay in releasing funds for the second phase of Chennai Metro Rail project. He contrasted this with the generous allocation of funds to states like Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, suggesting it was done to retain power.
"This Annapoorna issue is being discussed all over India. Nirmala Sitharaman should apologize to the people of Coimbatore," Selvaperunthagai demanded. He predicted that these issues would have repercussions in the upcoming elections.
At the conclusion of the event, TNCC President Selvaperunthagai distributed cream buns to all participants.