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Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai has strongly criticized the DMK government for replacing the national currency symbol ‘Rs’ with the Tamil letter ‘Ru’ in the state budget logo for 2025-26, calling the move “laughable” and an attempt to divert attention from pressing public issues.
The controversy erupted after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin released a video showcasing the new budget logo, in which the ‘Rs’ symbol was replaced with ‘Ru’ in Tamil script. While the DMK justified the change as a symbolic protest against the Union government’s policies, opposition parties, including the BJP, condemned the move as unnecessary and divisive.
Annamalai questioned the DMK’s rationale, pointing out that the Rupee symbol was designed by a Tamil academic, Udaya Kumar, and was well-received by Stalin’s father and former Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi. “The Rupee symbol was created by a Tamilian and was appreciated by Kalaignar Karunanidhi. Now, Stalin wants to change it because they are against the Devanagari script. This is nothing but an attempt to stir controversy and shift focus from their failures,” Annamalai stated in an interview with ANI.
TN State Planning Commission’s executive vice chairperson says the ₹ symbol was dropped because it was based on the Devanagari script.
Advertisement · Scroll to continueTN CM Thiru @mkstalin has surrounded himself with such nincompoops. Mere advertisements and meaningless decisions to hide incompetence:… pic.twitter.com/50ajWjim96
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) March 13, 2025
Nirmala Sitharaman’s take
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also took to social media to criticize the DMK government, questioning why they did not object when the Rupee symbol was officially adopted in 2010 under the Congress-led UPA government, of which DMK was a part. She accused the DMK of undermining a national symbol and ignoring the contribution of a Tamil designer. “By erasing this symbol, DMK is not just rejecting a national identity but also disregarding the creative work of a Tamil youth,” she wrote.
Other BJP leaders also voiced their discontent. BJP leader C.R. Kesavan called the DMK’s decision an “absurd drama” that insulted Tamil pride, while Vice President Narayanan Thirupathy labeled the move “childish, foolish, and nonsensical.” Tamilisai Soundararajan stressed that the Indian Rupee is a federal currency and that the DMK must respect national symbols.
However, the DMK and its allies defended the change. DMK spokesperson Sarvanan Annadurai stated that the alteration was a symbolic protest against the Union government’s policies, while CPI leader D. Raja argued that it did not violate the Constitution. Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission Executive Vice Chairman J. Jeyaranjan simply remarked, “We don’t want to use Devanagari. That’s all.”
The debate continues to escalate, with political parties clashing over whether the move is a matter of linguistic pride or an unnecessary controversy. As Tamil Nadu prepares to present its budget, the political ramifications of this symbolic change remain to be seen.
(With ANI Inputs)
