TN Budget Today Amidst Controversy Over Rupee Symbol
At a time when India is pushing for cross-border payments using UPI, should we really be undermining our own national currency symbol, asks Union Finance Minister.
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu is set to present the State budget for the financial year 2025-26 today (March 14).
Also, the State Government proposes to present the Agriculture Budget for 2025-26 tomorrow (March 15). The presentation of this year’s budget has been overshadowed by controversy following Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s decision to remove the Indian rupee symbol (₹) from the state budget’s official logo. Instead, the Tamil alphabet ‘Roo’ (‘ரூ’) has been used to represent ‘Roobai,’ the Tamil word for rupee.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders and Union Ministers, who have accused the DMK Government of promoting linguistic and regional chauvinism. Criticising the idea, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said removing a national symbol like '₹' from the State Budget documents goes against that very oath, weakening the commitment to national unity. It is more than mere symbolism, which signals a dangerous mindset that would weaken Indian unity and promote secessionist sentiments under the guise of regional pride. "A completely avoidable example of language and regional chauvinism," she said.
Posting her protest on her X page, she said, "The DMK government has reportedly removed the official Rupee symbol ‘₹’ from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 documents, which will be presented tomorrow. If the DMK (@arivalayam) has a problem with ‘₹’, why didn’t it protest back in 2010 when it was officially adopted under the @INCIndia-led UPA government, at a time when the DMK was part of the ruling alliance at the Centre?"
Pointing out the irony that ‘₹’ was originally designed by Tamilian by name D Udaya Kumar, the son of former DMK MLA N. Dharmalingam, she said, "By replacing it now it now, the DMK is not only rejecting a national symbol but also utterly disregarding the creative contribution of a Tamil youth."
She argues further that the Tamil word ‘Rupaai’ (ரூபாய்) itself has deep roots in the Sanskrit word ‘Rupya’, meaning ‘wrought silver’ or ‘a worked silver coin'. This term has resonated across centuries in Tamil trade and literature, and even today, ‘Rupaai’ remains the currency name in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. In fact, several countries, including Indonesia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, officially use ‘Rupee’ or its 'equivalent/derivatives' as their currency name. Rupee symbol ‘₹’ is internationally well-recognised and serves as a visible identity of India in global financial transactions. She concluded her post saying, "At a time when India is pushing for cross-border payments using UPI, should we really be undermining our own national currency symbol? All elected representatives and authorities are sworn under the Constitution to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of our nation."
AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami, popularly known as EPS too condemned the DMK’s decision, calling it a publicity stunt aimed at diverting attention from governance failures. In a social media post, he criticised CM Stalin for prioritising symbolic gestures over addressing the real issues faced by the people. He also accused the chief minister of delivering “scripted dialogues written by others” and dismissed the move as a political gimmick.
Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai also criticised the move, questioning the rationale behind replacing the rupee symbol in the Budget documents. In a sharp remark directed at CM Stalin, he wrote: “The DMK government’s state budget for 2025-26 replaces the rupee symbol, which was designed by a Tamilian and adopted by the entire nation. How stupid can you become, Thiru @mkstalin?”
The controversy stems from the ongoing tensions between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre over language policies. The DMK-led administration has consistently opposed the Union Government’s alleged imposition of Hindi, particularly through the National Education Policy (NEP). The removal of the rupee symbol is being seen as part of Tamil Nadu’s broader resistance to Central policies perceived as undermining regional identity.
