# Congress MPs deny backing UPI fee, government cites no-dissent record 2026-09-17T09:32:25+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 5 independent outlets The Congress has denied that its MPs in a parliamentary panel backed the government's decision to levy a 0.4% fee on UPI payments above Rs 2,000 from October 15. A government functionary said five Congress MPs, including P Chidambaram and Manish Tewari, were present when the panel's report was adopted on August 12 with no recorded dissent. Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi and Manish Tewari said no specific proposal on the UPI fee was discussed at the committee, and that questions on the need for MDR went unanswered by government representatives. The clash follows Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the fee, which he said would hurt small merchants and benefit American corporations. The panel's report noted a Rs 2,000 crore government allocation covers only 11% of the industry's operational costs, recommending a tiered revenue model. The fee is set to take effect on October 15. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All five sources report the same facts: the government says Congress MPs in the panel backed a tiered MDR framework, while the Congress MPs deny a specific UPI tax proposal was discussed or supported. Pro-government framing leads with the no-dissent claim and Rahul Gandhi's criticism, omitting the MPs' denial until later. The critical framing leads with the denial and alleges the government is diverting attention, yet neither side contests the panel's general recommendation for a viable revenue model nor the Rs 2,000 crore vs Rs 20,700 crore cost mismatch. The balanced reading is that the MDR principle was discussed, but the specific October 15 rate and threshold were not. The committee's own report shows it endorsed a tiered structure, the politics is about who owns that recommendation. The next step is October 15, when MDR on UPI above Rs 2,000 is set to take effect. ## Coverage - deccanherald.com (government critical) Leads with questioning Rahul Gandhi's criticism, places no-dissent claim first, frames denial as rebuttal - hindustantimes.com (government critical) Leads with Congress MPs denying support, quotes their detailed rebuttal, frames government claim as accusation - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (government critical) Leads with Congress denial, quotes GOP MPs' social media posts, presents government claim as trigger for response - livemint.com (neutral report) Leads with government questioning Rahul Gandhi, balances both sides with committee report details early - indiatoday.in (government critical) Leads with Congress denial and 'diverting attention' framing, quotes party's allegations against government Tags: Manish Tewari, P Chidambaram, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, Rahul Gandhi, RBI, UPI Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/congress-mps-deny-backing-upi-fee-that-rahul-gandhi-opposed/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/congress-mps-deny-backing-upi-fee-that-rahul-gandhi-opposed/#story-in-brief