In a significant move, the Tamil Nadu government has replaced the rupee (₹) symbol with a Tamil letter (Ru) in its promotional material for the upcoming 2025-26 state budget, set to be presented on Friday. The change was noticed after Chief Minister M.K. Stalin shared the new budget logo on social media platform X.
This marks a departure from last year’s budget posters, which featured the standard rupee symbol. While no official announcement has been made regarding this modification, the shift has drawn political reactions, particularly against the backdrop of the ruling DMK’s ongoing opposition to the BJP-led central government’s alleged “Hindi imposition” through the National Education Policy’s three-language formula.
DMK leader Saravanan Annadurai defended the decision, stating, *”There is nothing illegal about it… this is not a ‘showdown’. We prioritise Tamil… that is why the government went ahead with this.”*
However, the move has been met with sharp criticism from the BJP. The party’s Tamil Nadu spokesperson, Narayanan Thirupathy, accused the DMK of attempting to set itself apart from India, alleging that the government was using this issue to distract from its governance failures.
State BJP chief K. Annamalai also took aim at Chief Minister Stalin, calling him *”stupid”* in a post on X. He further highlighted that the rupee symbol, officially adopted in July 2010, was designed by the son of a former DMK MLA, questioning the rationale behind the change. *”How stupid can you become?”* he wrote.
Former Puducherry Lieutenant Governor and BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan also condemned the move, asserting that it was *”against the Constitution”* and accusing the DMK of acting against national interests. She urged the ruling party to focus on governance rather than making symbolic changes, even challenging Stalin to change his own name to a Tamil equivalent.
The controversy unfolds as Tamil Nadu gears up for an intense electoral battle next year, with the DMK and AIADMK locked in fierce competition, while the BJP continues its efforts to gain a foothold in the state’s political landscape.
