Congmen shut down eatery over bill slamming UPA

Image
Press Trust of India Mumbai
Last Updated : Jul 23 2013 | 3:15 PM IST
Enraged over a trenchant message printed on a restaurant's bill slamming UPA government for imposing service tax on AC restaurants, Congress workers forced closure of the eatery here.
The Congress workers' action prompted Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to dub it as "height of intolerance".
A group of Congress workers staged a protest outside 'Aditi' restaurant near KEM Hospital in central Mumbai yesterday and forced it to shut down, police said today.
The Congress workers alleged that the restaurant was issuing bills to customers with a printed message that read: "As per UPA govt eating money (2G, coal, CWG scam) is a necessity and eating food in AC restaurants is a luxury."
As the protest continued, police reached the spot and subsequently a non-cognizable offence was registered at Bhoiwada Police Station under section 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory) of the IPC against S Shetty, the owner of the restaurant.
"Shetty apologised to Congress workers saying that he was sorry if he had hurt the sentiments of anybody," a police officer said.
The restaurant was shut down for some time but reopened later, he said, adding that a police contingent has been deployed at the eatery to maintain peace.
The action by Congress workers drew criticism from Modi, who took to microblogging site Twitter to slam their high-handedness.
"Height of intolerance!", the BJP's election campaign committee chief said on his Twitter handle @narendramodi where he also posted a photo of the bill issued by the restaurant.
The Centre has imposed service tax on taxable service provided in restaurants with air-conditioning or central air heating with effect from April 1, 2013.
Earlier, service tax was not levied on airconditioned restaurants that did not serve liquor.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 23 2013 | 3:15 PM IST

Next Story