The BJP expelled Singanallur mandal president R Sathish after he circulated a video of D Srinivasan, managing director of Sree Annapoorna Hotels, apologizing to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for his remarks on GST inconsistencies. This incident has sparked political controversy, with the DMK and Congress criticizing the BJP for allegedly coercing the hotelier to apologize. Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai issued an apology for the incident, while the party's actions have been described as damage control following public backlash. Chief Minister M K Stalin condemned the Finance Minister's handling of the matter, claiming it reflected poorly on her and the BJP. The Congress staged protests, using symbolic gestures to highlight their dissatisfaction, and called for apologies from the Finance Minister and BJP leaders instead. The Annapoorna group clarified that Srinivasan approached the minister voluntarily and there was no misunderstanding regarding the intentions behind the meeting.