Don’t bow before United States: Congress urges PM Modi to roll back UPI charges

The Congress kept up the heat on the Centre for the newly introduced merchant discount rates (MDR) on UPI and RuPay transactions above ₹2,000, arguing the move not only reduces Indian UPI’s competitiveness vis-à-vis America’s Visa and Mastercard, but also that the main beneficiaries of the charges would be UPI payment apps owned by US companies.

In a video uploaded on his social media handles where he stands in front of a portrait of Indira Gandhi in the background, Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said: “Indiraji was once asked whether she leans left or right, and her response was, I don’t lean left, I don’t lean right, I stand straight. Modiji has a completely different concept.