‘What about thepla?’: Twitter offers crisp jokes after government slashes GST on Khakra

The GST rate was brought down for 27 items of common consumption, including roti, sliced dried mangoes, unbranded namkeens.

“It’s official. Khakra is our national snack.”

Khakra, the savoury, crispy Gujrati snack , was trending on Twitter after the government slashed the GST rate on it.(Shutterstock)

This is what a Twitter user said after Khakra started trending late Friday following a central government announcement that the goods and services tax (GST) on the Gujarati snack was slashed from 12% to 5%. The reduction came as part of a slew of measures announced by finance minister Arun Jaitley to bring relief to traders and small businesses.

The GST rate was brought down for 27 items of common consumption, including chapati, sliced dried mangoes, unbranded namkeens, unbranded Ayurvedic medicines, stationery, man-made yarn. But what caught social media’s attention was the khakra.

A thin, crisp cracker made with wheat flour, salt and oil, Khakhra is a popular staple in Gujarati and Rajasthani cuisine. The savoury snack lent itself to one salty joke after the other as Twitterati wondered why other snacks such as theplas and fafdas from the Prime Minister’s home state were left out.

Amid all the fun, many Twitter users also targeted the government over the inclusion of the Gujarati snack, seeing it as a sop to Gujarat’s khakra-industry ahead of elections in the state. Others questioned the Centre’s priorities, asking why khakra was favoured over other items, such as sanitary napkins.

Here’s a slider of the funniest Khakra jokes that pack a crunch: