Implementing Single GST Rate Important For Shielding MSMEs, Says Congress MP Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi shared a remarkable story of a team of 70 incredible women, who run one of Ooty’s famous chocolate factories, and said implementing a single GST rate was important for shielding MSMEs.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday shared a story of a team of 70 incredible women who run one of Ooty’s famous chocolate factories. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), he said, “The story of Moddys Chocolates is a remarkable testament to the great potential of India's MSMEs.” He said creating industrial centres and implementing a single GST rate are required steps to shield MSMEs, which collectively have the power to drive India's growth engine.

He said this while sharing a video of his recent visit to a chocolate-making factory in Ooty, reported news agency PTI.

Gandhi’s comments came after he visited "one of Ooty's most celebrated brands" – Moddys Chocolates – earlier this month when he was on his way to his parliamentary constituency Wayanad after his Lok Sabha membership was restored.

In the video, Gandhi can also be seen trying his hand at chocolate-making and interacting with the all-women staff at the chocolate factory.

He said such teams led by women deserve to be supported in every possible way and manner.

Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying by PTI: "On my way to Wayanad, recently, I had the delightful experience of visiting one of Ooty's most celebrated brands: Moddys Chocolates. The entrepreneurial spirit of the couple behind this small business, Muralidhar Rao and Swati, is inspiring.”

The globally renowned Indian industry of the chocolate-makers of Ooty is located amidst Nilgiris. Gandhi also said all the women who work at the company are remarkable. He said, as quoted by PTI, "This dedicated team of 70 women crafts some of the most exquisite couverture chocolates I've ever tasted."

Notably, he was also quoted as saying by PTI: "In a landscape where the government appears to favour larger corporations to the detriment of the MSME sector, it is the pure grit of hardworking Indians like the women I met here that sustains India's growth.”

However, he added that many other such small and medium-scale businesses all over India, including Maddys, are struggling under the burden of the same adversary - the "Gabbar Singh Tax".