Jammu, Sept. 17 -- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has waded into one of the most politically charged economic debates of the season, throwing his weight behind the newly proposed 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on person-to-merchant UPI payments above Rs 2,000 - a move that puts him squarely at odds with his own coalition ally, the Congress.
The National Conference leader's endorsement comes at an awkward moment for the ruling alliance. While Congress has been on the offensive, branding the UPI charge "anti-national" and "anti-people" and accusing the Centre of caving to pressure from US President Donald Trump to benefit American payment players like Walmart, Google and Amazon, Abdullah chose to strike a starkly different note.
"W...