Congress criticises UPI payment fee policy as 'Trump appeasement'

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has criticised the government's recent policy move on Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), claiming it represents appeasement of U.S. interests. Ramesh questioned whether the decision was intended to enable American card companies to compete with India's UPI platform.

The Congress leader reinterpreted NOTA (None of the Above) as "Narendra's Ongoing Trump Appeasement," targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's approach to U.S. relations. The party contends the policy shift disadvantages domestic digital payment systems.