Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 17 (ANI): Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Ram Chander Rao on Thursday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transaction charges, accusing him of spreading misinformation and attempting to mislead the public.
Speaking to ANI, Rao said that Rahul Gandhi has a persistent habit of misleading the general public every time Prime Minister Narendra Modi brings a new enactment.
Drawing on previous instances, Rao highlighted that the Congress leader's claims regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), free COVID-19 vaccinations, economic collapse, and failure of public sector enterprises such as State Bank of India (SBI), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) had all proven false.
Refuting Gandhi's previous claims, he noted, "Whenever the country is progressing forward, or Modi brings a new enactment, Rahul Gandhi misleads the people. He said that you will lose citizenship after CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act). Did anyone lose citizenship after the CAA amendment? He said that you will never get a vaccine. We got three vaccines free of cost in the entire country for a 140-crore population. Then he said there would be no elections if Modi won in 2019. We had two elections after 2019. 'The economy is dead,' he said. Now, we are the fourth fastest-growing economy, and our GDP growth rate is now 7.8%. And then he said that gas and petrol would not be available. Was there any shortage despite the war? He said world leaders would not come to India. We had the G20, and we had BRICS. And then he said SBI, HAL, and LIC would collapse. They are all now in the green! They are all successfully producing a lot of things. LIC is doing well and competing with others."
Rao emphasised that person-to-person (P2P) transactions on UPI carry zero charges and no taxes for any transfer amount. For person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions, Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) applies only above the Rs 2,000 threshold, capped at a maximum of 0.04 per cent. He added that over 70 per cent of transactions fall below the MDR threshold, ensuring the common man remains completely unaffected.
"Similar fake news is now being spread by Rahul Gandhi that UPI is a 'Modi tax.' In fact, for UPI person-to-person (P2P), there is no tax, no charge for unlimited transactions. For any transaction amount, there is no tax on it. There is no collection of any commission on that. So, this is false," he said.
"When it is person-to-merchant (P2M), then MDR (Merchant Discount Rate) applies only after a Rs 2,000 payment, and that is 0.04 per cent. And 70 per cent of transactions are below the MDR threshold. Now, Rs 300 is the maximum cap. After Rs 1 lakh, Rs 300 is the maximum amount that is charged. And even in this, no common man is affected! The entire collection of commission, whatever amount is there in the MDR, goes to the ecosystem; to the banks, to the merchants, to other systems, but the common man is not affected," he added.
Terming India one of the "fastest digital transaction networks," he highlighted that the country holds 40 per cent of UPI transaction shares in the world, further criticising Gandhi for "insulting" the country.
"He is trying to fool the people. India should be proud that we hold a 40 per cent share of UPI transactions in the world! 40 per cent share! Digital transactions in India are the highest. Back then, they said our people were illiterate, that they couldn't understand digital or cashless transactions. Chidambaram and others made statements. But today, India has one of the fastest digital transaction networks. Rahul Gandhi must be careful while insulting the country," Rao said.
"PM Modi brings good acts, good news, and good administration, but you oppose it. Therefore, this is only misleading the people. With UPI, people are safe; no one's money is lost. So, this falsehood spread by Rahul Gandhi should be stopped," he added. (ANI)
"Misleading public, insulting country": Telangana BJP chief Ramchander Rao slams Rahul Gandhi over 'Modi Tax' remarks
