Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday shared a video of his visit to a chocolate factory in Tamil Nadu's Ooty wherein he was seen discussing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the confectionary items as he tried his hands at making the candies. Gandhi also sought detailed information on how the candies are made at the Moddys Chocolates where 70 women are employed to do the various tasks of the chocolaterie.
Sharing a clip of the video on X, the 53-year-old leader wrote, “A team of 70 incredible women drives one of Ooty’s famous chocolate factories!”
“The story of Moddys Chocolates is a remarkable testament to the great potential of India's MSMEs,” he added.
In the seven-minute video, Gandhi can be seen turning into a baker and learning the process of chocolate making at the factory. He also tries to learn a bit of Tamil as he asks, “How do I say batao in Tamil?” Gandhi mentions his younger sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too as he said, “You should call my sister here.”
{{/usCountry}}In the seven-minute video, Gandhi can be seen turning into a baker and learning the process of chocolate making at the factory. He also tries to learn a bit of Tamil as he asks, “How do I say batao in Tamil?” Gandhi mentions his younger sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too as he said, “You should call my sister here.”
{{/usCountry}}Gandhi visited the famous hill town situated in the Nilgiris while on his way to his Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala's Wayanad.
“The entrepreneurial spirit of the couple behind this small business, Muralidhar Rao and Swati, is inspiring. Equally remarkable is the all-women team which works alongside them. This dedicated team of 70 women crafts some of the most exquisite couverture chocolates I've ever tasted,” Gandhi noted while sharing the full video on his YouTube channel.
Reiterating the GST as the "Gabbar Singh Tax" he said, “Like countless other small and medium businesses across India, Moddys is grappling with the burden of the same adversary - the Gabbar Singh Tax.” Gandhi attacked the Centre as he alleged that “the government appears to favour larger corporations to the detriment of the MSME sector.”
Gandhi called for a single GST rate among the imperative measures to shield the MSMEs, which he said collectively possess the power to drive the country's growth engine. “Women-led teams like this (Moddys Chocolates) deserve all the support we can give,” he added.