The Tamil Nadu government has stirred controversy by replacing the official rupee symbol with the Tamil letter for ‘ru’ from ‘rubai’ (rupees in Tamil) in the logo for the 2025-26 state budget.
This move is seen as a strong statement by Chief Minister MK Stalin against the central government's three-language formula and its perceived imposition of Hindi.
Stalin shared a teaser for the upcoming budget on social media, highlighting the state’s commitment to inclusive development. The logo, prominently featuring the Tamil script, notably omitted the official rupee symbol, which is derived from the Hindi alphabet.
The hashtags "Dravidian Model" and "TNBudget2025" accompanied his post, reinforcing the state's emphasis on linguistic pride and regional identity.
In previous years, Tamil Nadu’s budget logos had included the rupee symbol, including the 2023-24 budget, which was designed by Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, a Tamilian professor at IIT-Guwahati and the son of a former DMK MLA.
This marks the first instance of a state rejecting the national currency symbol, intensifying Tamil Nadu's opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language policy.
Political Backlash
The move has sparked sharp criticism from opposition leaders, particularly from the BJP. Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai accused Stalin of politicizing language and disrespecting a symbol designed by a Tamilian.
He questioned the rationale behind the decision, calling it an embarrassment for the state.
BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya also condemned the change, stating that the Chief Minister was insulting Tamilians by rejecting a national symbol designed by a fellow Tamilian.
AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan echoed similar sentiments, accusing Stalin of using linguistic politics to provoke the people.
DMK Defends Decision
In response to the criticism, DMK spokesperson A. Saravanan clarified that the decision was not meant to reject the rupee symbol but to promote the Tamil language. He asserted that Tamil Nadu has always upheld its linguistic heritage and that the change was in line with the state’s cultural identity.
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