Fadnavis defends UPI fee, says Congress leaders sat on panel that backed it

Merchants now have to pay a 0.4 percent fee on UPI payments above Rs 2,000, and Congress has been targeting the government over this. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hit back at Congress over the row and said the narrative being built around it does not hold up.

Fadnavis said the parliamentary committee that recommended the nominal fee on UPI included four Congress leaders, including P. Chidambaram. He said it made no sense for Congress to now build a different narrative when its own leaders were part of that committee.

The chief minister also responded to protests by petrol pump operators. He said UPI has already increased business for pump operators and that people are now using it widely, so opposing such a small fee is not justified.

Fadnavis cited the Samruddhi Mahamarg as an example. He recalled that when the project was decided upon, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray had opposed it, but the government did not stop work, land was acquired within a year and the project was later completed.

He reiterated that the government has clarified several times before that the fee does not apply to every transaction, but the opposition keeps presenting a different picture. He said UPI and digital payments have played a big role in boosting trade and reducing corruption, and traders and petrol pump operators should accept the fee on such a small amount instead of opposing it.

Later, speaking to entrepreneurs at the Butibori industrial area, Fadnavis also spoke about his own way of working. He said, in a lighter vein, that his pace is not as slow as a tortoise, but the tortoise is certainly his inspiration. He said that whenever he faces criticism or opposition, he retreats into his shell like a tortoise and continues his work calmly.

He said that most people who reach a high post do not like to hear anything against themselves, but he remains ready to listen to such things. Fadnavis said he draws his energy to work from friends, family and people he meets every day. He said he has several close friends in Nagpur who see him not as chief minister but simply as their friend, and who do not hesitate to point out his mistakes when needed.