MK Stalin further fuels language row as Tamil Nadu govt removes rupee symbol from budget

In a clear message to the Union government, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin replaced the official rupee symbol (₹) with the Tamil letter for 'ru' from 'rubai' (rupees in Tamil) in the state budget 2025-26 logo.

The change was seen in a budget teaser posted on his Stalin’s X handle, which will be presented on March 14 in the state assembly.

“To ensure the widespread development of Tamil Nadu to benefit all sections of society,” the caption of the video read.

Notably, the previous two budgets of the state had used the official rupee symbol for its logos.

Interestingly, the rupee symbol was designed by a professor at IIT-Guwahati, Udhay Kumar, who is the son of a DMK leader.

Even the 2023-24 budget prominently showed the symbol. For the first time, the state has rejected the national currency symbol.

The decision comes amidst the resistance by the Tamil Nadu government against the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and the three-language policy.

Under the three-language policy, primary-level students in government schools must study an Indian language alongside English and Tamil. At the secondary level, they have the option to learn foreign languages like Korean, Japanese, French, German, and Spanish, in addition to Indian languages and English.

BJP state president K Annamalai has slammed Chief Minister Stalin for the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to replace the rupee symbol.

“The DMK government’s State Budget for 2025-26 replaces the rupee symbol designed by a Tamilian, which was adopted by the whole of Bharat and incorporated into our currency,” Annamalai said.

Referring to Udhay Kumar being the son of a former DMK MLA, Annamalai asked, “How stupid can you become Mr MK Stalin?”

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya also criticized Stalin for replacing the rupee symbol.

“Udhay Kumar Dharmalingam is an Indian academic and designer, son of a former DMK MLA, who designed the Indian rupee sign, which was accepted by Bharat. Chief Minister MK Stalin is insulting Tamilians by dropping the sign from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 document. Just how ridiculous can one get?” Malviya wrote in a post on X.