DHARMAPURI l wednesday l october 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l CITY EDITION Fee on UPI transactions above `2K postponed till diwali fest In a major relief to UPI users, the decision to levy a Merchant Discount Rate of 0.4 per cent on transactions over `2,000 has been deferred | P14 move follows public backlash timely and pragmatic step: traders The National Payments Corporation of India said on Tuesday that the Merchant Discount Rate on UPI transactions shall be implemented immediately after Diwali on a date to be notified separately. The decision to defer has come amidst protests by the Opposition that termed it a tax, and said the MDR imposition above `2,000 will burden consumers, traders ■ ■ The Confederation of All India Traders said the government’s move to defer the proposed MDR charges on UPI transactions is “timely and pragmatic”, particularly during the crucial festive and wedding season As per NPCI’s circular last month, 0.4 per cent MDR was to be charged on person-to-merchant UPI payments above `2,000 from October 15 `300 is the maximum mdr that can be levied on transactions CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Rahul asks Oppn leaders to be ready to reach Delhi at 24-hr notice; Shah says Cong will lose again in 2029 ‘Resistance’ Introspect, to continue, don’t blame says Rahul SIR: Shah P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi A mock impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi Metro train rides by MPs to challenge travel restrictions, and protest programmes at the denotified Jantar Mantar were among the proposals discussed in the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders and representatives of civil society and students on Tuesday . According to sources, the meeting explored ways to keep the protests going and decided to sustain the agitation. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi told the lead‘We respect ers that they could go SC and CJI’ back to their constitOn Opposition uencies but should return to Delhi at 24 leaders moving court, Rahul hours’ notice. said they have Speaking to report“extreme ers, Rahul those responsible for the al- respect” for the le ged ‘vote theft’ Supreme Court, for the Chief would be brought to Justice of India justice. and for the Among those who attended the high tea judicial system meet at Rahul’s residence on Sunehri Bagh Road were Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi; RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha; SP leaders Harendra Malik, Anand Bhadauria and Mohibullah Nadvi; Left leaders MA Baby and D Raja; JMM’s Mahua Maji; and TMC MP Mahua Moitra. AISA chief Neha Bora and CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya were also present. UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to introspect why his party has been losing elections rather than playing negative politics over the Special Intensive Revision. In his first public comments on the ongoing protests, Shah said electoral credibility and public confidence can’t be secured through wild allegations and street protests. Instead, he said, opposition parties need to demonstrate their acceptance among voters through sustained public engagement ‘Negative and service. politics’ “I want to ask RaShah accused hul Ji: Is this (electhe Congress of tion defeat) the result indulging in of SIR? The SIR start“negative ed only after 2024,” politics” and Shah said, adding the advised the Congress and its algrand old party lies would face a to try and crushing defeat for connect with the fourth consecuthe public to tive time in 2029. win their trust Shah cited the BJP’s performance in the recent municipal elections in Gujarat as evidence of the electorate’s enduring faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lighting into the Congress leader, Shah said Gandhi is trying to manufacture political momentum through media events and baseless allegations. Such tactics, Shah said, would not help the grand old party regain public confidence. AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu presents a memento to CM C Joseph Vijay | Express Vijay calls on AP CM Naidu, holds talks on river linking E x press N e w s S er v i c e @ Vijayawada / Chennai Chief Ministers C Joseph Vijay met his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada on Tuesday and discussed GodavariCauvery river interlinking initiative, water security, inter-state cooperation and issues of common interest. According to a statement from the Tamil Nadu government, the CM highlighted that TN had limited surface water resources and depended on neighbouring states for more than 30% of its water needs. He described the GodavariCauvery link project as a major long-term opportunity to improve water availability in both the states and called it an initiative that would benefit all southern states by supporting agriculture and improving drinking water security . Vijay urged Naidu to take forward the proposal and said he had already requested PM Narendra Modim during his Chennai visit on Sunday to de, clare the project as one of national importance.  P9 Ladakh integral part of India, MEA rebuts China J ayanth J a c o b @ New Delhi What the MHA list of Oct 2 covered Reiterating that the Union Territory of Ladakh is an “integral and inalienable part of India,” New Delhi on Tuesday rejected China’s assertion that it has “never recognised” the region. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said “no amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact”. India’s response came amid Beijing’s objection to New Delhi’s decision to standardise the names of 28 geographical locations and features in Ladakh. The strong rebuttal came soon The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the list of 28 locations on October 2, covering a range of geographical features, including 10 peaks, two mountain passes, seven land areas, three mountains, two water bodies, two glaciers, a valley and a river. ‘cross-voting’ HC upholds resignation of 6 AIADMK MLAs UT of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact Randhir Jaiswal, MEA sponse to a media query . Jaiswal, however, said the exercise was administrative and intended to improve the identification of geographical features on official maps. Referring to an Ministry of Home Affairs announcement, he said the 28 sites were identified with standardised names on the official Survey of India map in consultation with the UT and Reshuffle buzz as MoS L Murugan resigns RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi R S I V A K U M A r @ Chennai The Madras HC on Tuesday upheld Speaker JCD Prabhakar’s decision to accept the resignations of six AIADMK MLAs who defected to the TVK after crossvoting in favour of the ruling party in the Assembly The court, . however, criticised the delay on the part of the Speaker in deciding the disqualification proceedings against the defectors and directed him to decide the issue within two months without fail. A bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan passed the order on petitions filed by AIADMK whip Agri SS Krishnamurthy and ML Ravi, president of Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi. The legal challenge brought by Krishnamurthy revolves around two core arguments contesting the Speaker’s decision regarding resignations of MLAs.  P9 after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning objected to India’s announcement, reiterating Beijing’s refusal to recognise Ladakh as an UT. “India’s move is illegal and invalid; it cannot alter the objective fact that the western sector of the China-India border has always belonged to China,” Mao said, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s re- local stakeholders. “Identifying these places formally on the Survey of India map of UT of Ladakh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large,” he said. The MHA announced the list on October 2. This is the latest incident in a broader contest between India and China over territorial claims and use of geographical names to assert sovereignty . Beijing has repeatedly issued standardised Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which India has rejected. Back to grassroots In his letter to PM Modi, Murugan said there is a lot more that the party can achieve in Tamil Nadu UNION Minister of State L Murugan resigned from the council of ministers and the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, stating he wanted to return to Tamil Nadu to strengthen the BJP’s state unit ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The move has fuelled speculation of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle. In a four-page letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, re- quested to be relieved of his ministerial duties and allowed to give up his RS seat. “I want to go to every village (in TN), meet our people, stand beside our karyakartas,” he wrote. Recalling his journey as the son of daily wage labourers, he called his five years in government as the “greatest honour” of his life. Murugan was elected to the RS in September 2021 and reelected from Madhya Pradesh in April 2024. His term runs till April 2030. The vacation of his seat set off speculation on who it was meant to accommodate. Murugan is the third MoS to quit in recent months, after George Kurian and Ravneet Singh Bittu, who resigned in June and July respectively . Other possible exits include Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Giriraj Singh and Annapurna Devi. However, there is no official word yet. Those who failed to get an RS berth include Consumer Affairs MoS BL Verma. MoS Pankaj Chaudhary and Harsh Malh o t r a , t o o, a r e h o l d i n g ministerial posts while serving as BJP presidents of UP and Delhi respectively .