The head of the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Annamalai, has criticized the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government for its decision to eliminate the ‘Rs’ symbol from the state budget, opting instead for the Tamil letter ‘ru’.
In a post shared on X, Annamalai condemned the Tamil Nadu government’s move to ignore the rupee symbol, which was “created by a Tamilian.”
Annamalai stated, “In the 2025-26 State Budget, the DMK Government replaces the Rupee Symbol designed by a Tamilian, which has been embraced by all of Bharat and included in our currency.”
“Thiru Udhay Kumar, the creator of the symbol, is the son of a former DMK MLA. How foolish can you be, Thiru @mkstalin?”
Tamil Nadu substitutes ‘Rs’ with the Tamil letter ‘ru’ in state budget
The budget led by MK Stalin in 2025 represents a significant action amidst the ongoing language dispute with the Centre.
The new budget logo of Tamil Nadu prominently features the Tamil letter for ‘ரூ [Ru]’ derived from ‘rubai [which means rupee],’ replacing the previous Indian currency symbol used in past budgets. The logo also bears the caption “everything for all.”
This decision is interpreted as a statement from the Tamil Nadu government, which has had confrontations with the Centre over the three-language formula in the National Education Policy (NEP), accusing it of enforcing Hindi on the state.
The Tamil Nadu government has been critical of the Centre, charging that it is making covert attempts to impose Hindi on the state.
The controversy over Hindi imposition escalated when Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced he would withhold ₹2,400 crore in funds allocated for Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha scheme unless the state fully complies with the NEP.
The DMK has asserted that it will maintain the state’s two-language policy.
