UPI fee row escalates as Rahul Gandhi targets PM over charge on large merchant payments
A government decision to levy a fee on UPI payments above ₹2,000 to merchants has triggered a war of words between the Centre and the opposition.
A decision to levy a fee on Unified Payments Interface transactions above ₹2,000 made to merchants has snowballed into a political confrontation, with the government and the opposition trading charges over the move.
The row intensified after Rahul Gandhi attacked the decision, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chosen to "prostrate" before US President Donald Trump and commit a large sum of money to America.
The Congress leader's remarks came amid a stand taken by party MPs on a parliamentary panel, which further sharpened the exchange between the two sides. Party leaders Gogoi and Tewari also responded to the unfolding controversy.
The dispute centres on the levy applicable to UPI payments to merchants once the transaction value crosses the ₹2,000 mark, a change that has drawn scrutiny over its implications for digital payments.
With the parliamentary panel's position adding to the friction, the issue has moved beyond a technical change in payment rules into a broader political argument between the ruling side and the opposition.