Poonam Nath

Tamil Nadu budget replaces rupee symbol amid massive dispute with Centre

Digital Desk: On Thursday, Tamil Nadu changed the rupee symbol (Re) in promotional materials for the 2025/26 state budget, which will be presented Friday morning, with a Tamil letter (Ru).

Last year's budget posters contained the Re-Symbol. The change was noticed when Chief Minister MK Stalin posted the new logo on X.

The move to change the currency symbol comes as the ruling DMK clashes with the BJP-led government over 'Hindi imposition' under the new National Education Policy's three-language push.

So far, the Tamil Nadu government has not issued any formal notice regarding this transfer.

However, DMK leader Saravanan Annadurai informed a news outlet that "there is nothing illegal about it... This is not a 'showdown'. We prioritize Tamil, which is why the government pursued this."

The BJP's state unit chief, K Annamalai, who is leading a door-to-door campaign in the state to rally support for the three-language formula, called the Chief Minister "stupid".

In his own X post, Mr Annamalai noted that the Re emblem (accepted by the country in July 2010) was designed by the son of a former DMK MLA. "How stupid can you become?"

The DMK Government's State Budget for 2025-26 replaces the Rupee Symbol designed by a Tamilian, which was adopted by the whole of Bharat and incorporated into our Currency.

Thiru Udhay Kumar, who designed the symbol, is the son of a former DMK MLA.

How stupid can you become,… pic.twitter.com/t3ZyaVmxmq

— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) March 13, 2025

The broader issue, however, is the 'language war' between the DMK and the BJP-led central government over the National Education Policy, or NEP, which mandates, among other things, that students in Class VIII and upwards study a third language from a list of 22 languages, including Hindi.

The Tamil Nadu administration has protested the third language requirement, claiming that the existing two-language strategy, in which children are taught Tamil and English, has adequately served the state, India's second-largest contributor to the economy.

However, the BJP contends that their strategy will benefit those who migrate to neighboring states.

MK Stalin vs Amit Shah In Hindi Row

Earlier, Mr Stalin and Union Home Minister Amit Shah traded punches.

Mr. Shah said that the Centre has done more for Tamil speakers than the DMK, citing a decision to allow candidates for the Central Armed Police Force entrance exam to write in their home tongue.

This came after Mr Stalin warned Mr Shah that "Tamil Nadu will not tolerate Hindi colonialism replacing British colonialism" and that "Hindi imposition" is equivalent to an LKG student educating a PhD holder.

It is worth noting that the centre approved the conduct of CAPF exams in 13 regional languages, including Tamil, in 2023, just days after Mr Stalin appealed the decision to limit them to Hindi and English.