New Delhi, Sept 16
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to show some spine and not prostrate before US President Donald Trump and appealed to immediately withdraw the new Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework for certain UPI transactions, referring to it as a “UPI tax”.
In a video message shared on X, the former Congress chief alleged that the new UPI framework would result in a large amount of money going to Washington.
Taking a pot shot at the Prime Minister, he urged to “stop lying down in front of the US, have a spine, stand up” and rollback the “UPI tax”.
Invoking former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi over the UPI MDR policy, Rahul Gandhi said, “Indira (Gandhi) ji 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’. Modi ji has a completely different concept, he is neither left nor right, he has decided to lie down straight an prostrate himself in front of Donaru Trump.
“He (Modi) has put a tax on every single Indian person by taxing UPI and giving a huge amount of money to the United States,” he said.
Taking a dig at the government, he said that it had effectively imposed a tax on Indians through the new UPI framework and urged the Prime Minister to have a spine and roll back the charge.
The Congress has also alleged that the move was linked to US pressure to end the zero-MDR regime for UPI merchant payments.
Even Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the Modi-led central government, accusing it of “surrendering” to Washington’s pressure on trade tariffs, agricultural market access, and digital payment frameworks, leaving ordinary citizens to face the consequences.
Kharge took to X to criticise the government’s trade and foreign policies amid reports of mounting US tariff threats and recent decisions regarding digital transactions.
“Your dear friend ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ dictates; you capitulate, and 140 Cr Indians are left to bear the consequences! The threat of up to 100% US tariffs on Indian goods shows how your Govt’s Foreign and Trade policies have miserably failed!!” Kharge said.
Training his guns at the government over the digital transaction policies and MDR issues, Kharge termed it a sign of “meekness.”
“Yesterday’s surrender on the MDR on UPI is another stark example of your govt’s meekness! From tariffs and trade to H-1B immigration, visas and digital payments, the pressure from Washington keeps mounting, and you, ‘Howdy Modi ji’ keeps surrendering!” the Congress president added.
The Congress leader alleged that instead of countering Washington’s aggressive trade measures, the Union government has succumbed to US demands by removing the zero MDR regime for UPI transactions to benefit American card networks.