Tamil Nadu Budget Logo Sparks Controversy Over Rupee Symbol Change

CHENNAI:
The Tamil Nadu government, led by the DMK, unveiled the official logo for its 2025-26 budget on Thursday, replacing the Indian Rupee symbol with a Tamil letter. The move has sparked political controversy, drawing sharp criticism from the state BJP.

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu is set to present the budget on Friday. The newly introduced logo features the Tamil letter ‘ru,’ the first character of the word ‘Rubaai,’ which denotes the Indian currency in Tamil. The design also carries the caption “Everything for All,” reflecting the DMK’s emphasis on inclusive governance.

However, the decision has not gone down well with the opposition. BJP Tamil Nadu chief K. Annamalai lashed out at the ruling party, accusing it of disregarding the widely accepted Rupee symbol, which was designed by Tamil-origin Udhay Kumar and officially adopted by the Indian government.

“The DMK government has replaced the Rupee symbol designed by a Tamilian, which was accepted nationwide and incorporated into our currency. Thiru Udhay Kumar, who created the symbol, is the son of a former DMK MLA. How absurd can you get, Thiru @mkstalin?” Annamalai wrote in a social media post. He also shared an image of the 2024-25 Tamil Nadu budget logo, which had the standard Rupee symbol.

This development comes at a time when tensions between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre over language policies are already running high. The state has repeatedly accused the Union government of attempting to impose Hindi, a claim that the Centre has denied. The latest row over the budget logo is expected to further intensify the ongoing debate between linguistic identity and national symbols in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.