Congress leader Pawan Khera likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a lazy group project classmate who contributes nothing but claims full credit, in response to recent global praise for UPI from French President Emmanuel Macron.
The party asserted that the core idea and initial conception of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) originated during the UPA government in 2012-2013, long before the current administration came to power.
This sharp dig highlights the ongoing political credit war over one of India's most successful digital innovations, with Congress arguing the Modi government has exaggerated its role in UPI's development and global success.
Classmate Who Does No Work, But Shows Up To Take All Credit: Congress Takes A Dig
Opposition claims UPI's foundation laid under UPA in 2012-13, accuses Modi of hogging glory after Macron's praise for India's digital payments system
Summary
Congress leader and head of media and publicity Pawan Khera likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the archetypal group project slacker who contributes nothing yet claims full glory, amid fresh praise for India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) from French President Emmanuel Macron.
The remark came a day after Macron highlighted UPI as a standout example of India's digital innovation during discussions on global technology and payments. Khera seized on the moment to assert that the real credit belongs to the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
"We all remember that one classmate in a group project — does no work, but shows up to take all the credit. That's Narendra Modi," Khera posted on X.
He elaborated: "Look at the UPI architecture in India that was appreciated by Emmanuel Macron — the initial conception of UPI happened in 2012-2013, under a group led by Nandan Nilekani, then chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India. NPCI began designing the core architecture that would become UPI in 2013-2014."
Khera accused the Prime Minister of prioritizing publicity stunts over original thinking, stating, "Bereft of the capacity to think of groundbreaking ideas, Modi is happy with cutting ribbons, blabbering ludicrous acronyms, cursing Congress and stealing credit."
The Congress has long argued that key digital infrastructure initiatives, including the foundations of UPI, were conceptualized and set in motion during the UPA era (2004–2014). UPI was officially launched in 2016 under the current government, but the party maintains that the underlying vision, committee work, and early framework trace back to the earlier period.
This latest exchange revives a recurring political battle over credit for one of India's most successful exportable innovations — UPI now powers billions of transactions monthly and is increasingly adopted or emulated internationally.
The Prime Minister's Office and BJP leaders have not yet responded directly to Khera's analogy as of this reporting. However, the government has frequently highlighted UPI's explosive growth, global partnerships, and role in financial inclusion under its Digital India push since 2014.
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