By The Sampadak Express
In a new twist to the ongoing three-language debate, the Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, has removed the rupee symbol (₹) from the state’s 2025-26 Budget logo. Instead, the logo now features the Tamil letter for “Ru.” This change was highlighted in a pre-Budget video posted by Stalin on his official X handle, with the caption: “Ensuring widespread development of Tamil Nadu to benefit all sections of society.”
The Tamil Nadu state budget for 2025-26 is scheduled to be presented in the state assembly on March 14.
BJP Condemns the Move
The move was swiftly criticized by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the Stalin government of insulting Tamil people. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya took to X, questioning the rationale behind the decision, pointing out that the rupee symbol was designed by Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, the son of a former DMK MLA.”
Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, an Indian academic and designer from Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi, designed the Indian rupee (₹) symbol, which was accepted by India. By removing the ₹ symbol from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 document, CM MK Stalin is insulting Tamilians. Just how ridiculous can one get?” Malviya wrote.
Rupee Symbol’s Design
The rupee symbol, designed by Dharmalingam in 2010, is based on the Devanagari letter ‘र’ and incorporates a double horizontal line at the top half. The symbol was adopted by the Indian government in 2010 as the official currency symbol.
Context of the Move
This development comes at a time when the Stalin government is strongly opposing the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The formula suggests that students learn three languages, with at least two being native Indian languages. Tamil Nadu has been vocal in its resistance to this policy, particularly the recommendation that Hindi be included as a compulsory language.
Historically, Tamil Nadu has opposed the imposition of Hindi. In 1937, the then Madras government, led by C. Rajagopalachari, introduced compulsory Hindi in schools, triggering widespread protests led by Dravidian leaders, including Periyar. The policy was revoked in 1940, but anti-Hindi sentiments have persisted in the state.
The NEP 2020 emphasizes that the medium of instruction in schools should be the mother tongue or regional language up to at least Class 5, with a preference to extend it until Class 8 or beyond. However, the Stalin-led DMK government has been in opposition to the NEP, arguing that it imposes an undue burden on regional languages and undermines the autonomy of states.
As the political and linguistic debates continue to escalate, the Tamil Nadu Budget logo change has further intensified the conversation around language and cultural identity in the state.
