Chennai, Sep 13 (IANS): Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai has apologised to hotelier D. Srinivasan - the owner of the popular Sri Annapoorna Hotel Chain - after his video with the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman went viral on Friday.

In the video, hotelier D. Srinivasan apologises to the Union Minister purportedly saying - ‘I do not belong to any party. Please excuse me’ - over a humorous statement which he had made during a GST meeting on the inconsistencies in tax rates.

During the GST meeting, he said that the hotelier said there is a 5 per cent GST on sweets, 12 per cent on savouries, and 18 per cent on cream buns but no GST on plain buns. “Customers joke, ‘Just give me the bun, I’ll add the cream myself.”

This drew laughter from the audience.

“I sincerely apologise for the actions of our functionaries who shared a private conversation between a respected business owner and our Hon. FM,” the BJP chief said.

He added that Srinivasan is a pillar of strength for the Tamil Nadu business community, adding, that he has contributed significantly to both the state’s and nation’s economic growth.

"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. I request everyone to lay the matter to rest with due respect,” he said.

Social media is abuzz with rumours that he had been forced into apologising for his remarks. AIADMK leader Kovai Sathiyan questioned whether Srinivasan had been forced to apologise.