Government functionary questions Rahul's criticism of UPI charges, says Congress MPs in panel gave nod
Why is Rahul Gandhi opposing something his own MPs, including former finance minister P.Chidambaram and former minister in the UPA government Manish Tewari supported within the parliamentary panel, says a senior government functionary
On September 16, 2026, the government questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the recent decision to charge merchants above ₹2,000 for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments. A senior government official stated that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance had advocated for a tiered Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) and revenue framework for UPI, and that Congress members on the committee supported the proposal.
Five Congress MPs, including former finance minister P.Chidambaram and Manish Tewari, were present when the report was adopted, with no dissent recorded. Gandhi claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was bowing to U.S. President Donald Trump and handing over substantial funds to America. The committee, led by BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, emphasized the need for a viable revenue model and noted the significant discrepancy between the ₹2,000-crore allocation and the industry's estimated operational costs of ₹20,700 crore.
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