Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday, 19 September 2026, launched a sharp political offensive against the Central government's decision to introduce a 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions exceeding ₹2,000, alleging that the administration had deliberately lured Indian citizens into a 'digital trap' by first making services free and then quietly imposing fees once dependency was established.

The Allegation: A Planned Digital Dependency

In a detailed post on social media platform X, Raj Thackeray traced the origins of what he described as a calculated strategy — beginning with the 2016 Demonetisation and continuing through the nationwide promotion of UPI adoption. He argued that the trajectory was deliberately designed to make citizens reliant on digital payment infrastructure before levying charges.

'First came Demonetisation; then the UPI system was introduced with great fanfare to showcase the push for digital transactions. They trumpeted its success, basked in self-praise, got people habituated to it, and then suddenly announced that fees would apply. In short, they lulled citizens into a false sense of security and quietly ensnared them in a digital trap,' Thackeray said in his statement.

Thackeray's Key Charges Against the Government

Thackeray rejected the Union government's position that the 0.4 per cent MDR burden falls exclusively on merchants, asserting that no credible monitoring mechanism exists to prevent businesses — small or large — from passing the additional operational cost directly onto consumers. He warned that the charge would ultimately hit end users at the checkout counter.

He further criticised the levy of 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on top of the MDR, accusing the Finance Ministry of attempting to 'dip into citizens' pockets wherever possible.' He also questioned why long-term budgetary provisions for system maintenance and cybersecurity were not established during the initial investment phase, if the stated intent was genuinely to simplify transactions.

The 2022 Government Promise: Free UPI Forever

In a pointed move, Raj Thackeray released a screenshot of an official government post dated 21 August 2022, which had explicitly promised that UPI services would remain completely free of charge. He cited the document as evidence of what he called 'unclear and non-transparent intentions,' drawing a direct contrast between the government's past assurances and the current policy shift.

He added that he had consistently warned the public not to assume zero-fee digital services would remain permanent, saying the government's process of 'coming knocking at your door' to collect revenues had now officially begun.

Foreign Influence and Opposition Allegations

Raising broader questions around the origins of the policy, Thackeray cited opposition allegations regarding alleged US pressure and asked whether foreign card corporations and global payment networks had influenced the MDR decision. He did not present independent evidence for this claim, framing it as a question demanding a government response.

MNS Calls Merchants to Resist

Raj Thackeray formally registered the MNS's protest against the MDR implementation and called upon the trading community, small business owners, and retail associations across Maharashtra and the rest of the country to take a unified stand against paying the new transaction levies. The statement positions the MNS squarely against both the ruling MahaYuti coalition at the state level and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre on a consumer-facing economic issue that critics argue could accelerate a partial retreat from digital payments.