Rahul Gandhi Slams Government Over Penalty System in Public Sector Banks

Rahul Gandhi criticized the Indian government for the hefty penalties imposed by public sector banks on customers for not maintaining average monthly balances. He likened it to a 'chakravyuh' aimed at breaking common people's backs, contrasting it with the leniency shown to big industrialists.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, launched a scathing attack on the government over public sector banks collecting crores in penalties from customers who failed to maintain average monthly balances. He described the penalty system as a 'door of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chakravyuh,' claiming it aims to break the back of common Indians.

According to a written reply in the Lok Sabha, public sector banks have collected around Rs 8,500 crore since FY 2019-20 under this head. Minister of State in the Finance Ministry, Pankaj Chaudhary, revealed that state-run banks charged depositors Rs 2,331 crore for not maintaining average monthly minimum balance in FY24 alone.

In a Hindi post on X, Gandhi accused the government of robbing the 'empty pockets' of common Indians while forgiving Rs 16 lakh crore for friendly industrialists. He used the 'chakravyuh' metaphor to emphasize the atmosphere of fear and violence, promising that the INDIA bloc would break this cycle.