Priyanka Gandhi Slams Modi Government Over Bank Penalties

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticized the Modi government for public sector banks imposing penalties totaling Rs 8,500 crore on customers for not maintaining average monthly balances. She accused the government of targeting the poor and middle class to fill their coffers, contrasting this with waiving off industrialists' debts.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday criticized the Centre for public sector banks collecting crores in penalty fees from customers who did not maintain an average monthly balance. She alleged that the Modi government is determined to empty the pockets of the poor and the middle class.

Her criticism followed a written reply in Lok Sabha revealing that public sector banks collected around Rs 8,500 crore in penalties over five years starting from the financial year 2019-20.

Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary also informed Lok Sabha on Monday that state-run banks charged depositors Rs 2,331 crore in penalties for not maintaining the average monthly minimum balance in the financial year 2024.

In a Hindi post, Priyanka Gandhi labeled it as insensitive to penalize someone for not having sufficient money. She highlighted that the issue predominantly affects those with low or limited income struggling to support their families.

She contrasted Modi's policies with those of Indira Gandhi, who nationalized banks to assist the poor, stating that the BJP government has instead waived off Rs 16 lakh crore for industrialists while continuing to financially strain the poor and middle class.