India, Sept. 16 -- The government on Wednesday debunked claims that its decision to levy Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on some merchant UPI payments was influenced by foreign pressure. Since the announcement of the UPI charge, several critics of the move, including the main opposition Congress party, have accused the government of introducing the fee to favour the United States and please US President Donald Trump.

The finance ministry, in a post on X, clarified that the decision was taken with the "goal of building a self-sustaining, inclusive, and affordable digital payments ecosystem" and that it was made independently. It said any claim of foreign influence was false.

Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, accused the government of 'lying down ...