The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, has replaced the national rupee symbol (?) with the Tamil letter ‘Ru’ in the official logo for the state’s 2025-26 Budget. This move has reignited a debate over linguistic identity and is seen as a political statement amid Tamil Nadu’s ongoing disputes with the central government regarding language policies. The rupee symbol, which was adopted nationally in 2010, has been replaced for the first time in an official state document, highlighting the DMK-led government’s assertion of regional identity.
The decision comes in the broader context of Tamil Nadu’s resistance to the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language formula, which the ruling DMK perceives as efforts to impose Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states. The new Budget logo features ‘Ru’ from the Tamil word ‘Rubai’instead of the Devanagari- and Roman-inspired ? symbol. The DMK has historically positioned itself against cultural centralization, drawing parallels to the state’s long-standing anti-Hindi agitation of the 1960s, which played a crucial role in shaping its political landscape.
The move has sparked mixed reactions, with Tamil language activists and Dravidian scholars praising it as a step towards linguistic self-assertion, while critics, including BJP-affiliated groups, have accused the DMK of politicizing language for electoral gains. The opposition has argued that the decision needlessly deviates from national symbols and fosters division. As the Tamil Nadu finance minister prepares to present the Budget on March 14, the logo change has already stirred political controversy, further intensifying tensions between the state and the Centre over language and identity.
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