Narendra Modi said "rupee is in ICU" and blamed corruption in Delhi for rupee's fall

During Monday’s Rajya Sabha debate on The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, CPI(M) lawmaker John Brittas criticized new fees on UPI payments, claiming they were introduced under US pressure and contradicted Narendra Modi’s earlier pledge that India’s digital payments system would be a no-cost public service. Brittas also recalled Modi’s 2013 remark that blamed wrongdoing in the national capital for the rupee’s decline, suggesting a similar situation now. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded by calling communists cowards and noting that Brittas had left the chamber before her reply; his speech had been cut short for exceeding time. The dispute underscores opposition objections to UPI charges and anxiety over the rupee’s fall.