Row In Tamil Nadu Over Rupee Symbol Replacement

A controversy has erupted in Tamil Nadu after the MK Stalin-led government replaced the rupee symbol  with the Tamil letter for 'Ru' in the state budget logo. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticized the move, calling it a threat to national unity and an expression of regional chauvinism. She argued that removing a national symbol from official documents violates the constitutional oath to uphold the nation's sovereignty and integrity.

Sitharaman further pointed out that the DMK did not oppose the rupee symbol when it was adopted in 2010 under the Congress-led UPA government, of which DMK was a part. She highlighted that the Tamil word ‘Rupaai’ has roots in the Sanskrit term ‘Rupya’ and remains relevant in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. She also cited other countries like Indonesia, the Maldives, and Nepal, which use 'rupee' or its derivatives as currency names.

The BJP's Tamil Nadu unit also criticized the move. State BJP chief K Annamalai noted that the rupee symbol was designed by Udhay Kumar, a Tamilian and the son of a former DMK MLA. Party leader Tamilisai Soundarajan accused the DMK of using the change to divert attention from governance failures and emphasized that respecting national symbols does not undermine Tamil pride.