A day after Aam Aadmi Party leaders held a protest against the BJP in Jalandhar, Congress leaders and party workers on Saturday organized a demonstration outside Company Bagh to oppose the proposed 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions exceeding ₹2,000.
During the protest, Congress workers raised slogans against the Central Government and condemned the proposed charge on digital transactions. The demonstrators described the move as unfair to ordinary citizens and alleged that it would place an additional financial burden on people who increasingly rely on digital payment platforms in their daily lives.
Party leaders argued that the proposed MDR would directly impact consumers, small traders, farmers and workers, particularly at a time when most routine payments often exceed the ₹2,000 threshold.
Speaking at the protest, District Congress Committee (Urban) president Rajinder Beri said that expenditures such as electricity bills, school fees, medical expenses, household groceries and business transactions frequently exceed ₹2,000.
According to Beri, the proposed charge would affect a broad section of society, including middle-class families, shopkeepers, farmers and labourers. He claimed that the decision unfairly targets people already dealing with rising living costs.
Congress councillor Paramjot Singh Sheri Chadha also criticized the proposal, stating that the government's push for Digital India appears inconsistent with imposing additional charges on digital payments.
He said that while citizens are encouraged to adopt cashless transactions, introducing new costs on those payments sends a contradictory message. Chadha described the move as a double standard that could discourage the use of digital payment systems.
Congress leaders demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposed MDR on UPI transactions above ₹2,000. They maintained that people should be encouraged to use digital payment methods rather than being penalized through additional charges.
Several Congress leaders and workers participated in the demonstration, including Surinder Kaur, in-charge of Jalandhar West, councillor Pawan Kumar, Gurwinder Pal Singh Bunty Neelkanth and other party members.
The protest marks the latest political reaction in Jalandhar over the proposed MDR on higher-value UPI transactions, following a similar demonstration by Aam Aadmi Party leaders a day earlier.