Rupee Symbol Debate Heats Up as Tamil Nadu Opts for ‘ரூ’

The Tamil Nadu government’s move replacing the national rupee symbol with the Tamil letter 'ரூ' ('Ru') in its 2025-26 budget documents has sparked a new row in the on-going language debate in Tamil Nadu over the three language formula prescribed in the New Education Policy.

The rupee symbol change was part of the state's budget logo, unveiled by Chief Minister MK Stalin, which featured 'ரூ', the first letter of the Tamil word 'Rubaai', meaning rupee.

Opposition parties, including the BJP, have criticised the DMK government’s decision. Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai condemned the move, stating that the DMK government had become a "laughing stock" and was attempting to divert attention from pressing public issues.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also criticised the decision, highlighting that the official rupee symbol was designed by Udaya Kumar, a Tamilian and son of a former DMK MLA.


She questioned why the DMK did not oppose the symbol when it was adopted in 2010 under the Congress-led UPA government, of which the DMK was a part. Sitharaman expressed concern that removing a national symbol could weaken national unity and promote regional chauvinism.

In response to the controversy, Udaya Kumar has expressed surprise, noting that he designed the symbol 15 years ago when the central government held a competition, which he won. He stated that he never expected such a debate to occur and acknowledged that the state government might have its reasons for the change.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Coimbatore MLA Vanathi Srinivasan addressed reporters outside the Tamil Nadu Assembly, explaining the party’s decision to boycott the budget session. She accused the Tamil Nadu government of insulting the Constitution by removing the Devanagari rupee symbol from the state budget logo and replacing it with the Tamil rupee symbol.


She argued that while the Tamil rupee symbol is commonly used in private and personal writings, the official removal of the nationally accepted rupee symbol was a deliberate move.- TWL Bureau with IANS inputs