Replaced rupee symbol with Tamil ‘Ru’ to show determination over NEP: Stalin

The decision to replace the Indian rupee symbol with the Tamil letter “Ru” in the state Budget 2025-26 was taken to show how determined the ruling DMK was over the language policy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and party president MK Stalin has said.

In an apparent attack on the BJP, he said “those who don’t like Tamil made it a big news”.

Jibe at Sitharaman

Stalin, in his regular Ungalil Oruvan (One Among You) video address on Sunday (March 16), also took a jibe at Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her criticism on the rupee symbol issue, saying she could respond on the matter but not on Tamil Nadu’s plea for funds.

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“I released the Budget logo. We had the ‘Ru’ to show how determined we are in the language policy. But those who don’t like Tamil made it a big news,” he said.

The Tamil Nadu government’s replacing of the rupee symbol with “Ru”, the first letter of “Rubaai” that denotes the national currency in Tamil, has kicked up a row, with the BJP taking strong exception.

“We had pleaded with the Union government to give funds for the 100-day job scheme (MGNREGA), disaster management, and release school education funds. The Union finance minister (Sitharaman), who did not respond to these, has spoken on this matter,” he said.

Even she had, in many posts, used the letter “Ru”, he claimed.

Budget was a hit: Stalin

“In English, ‘rupees’ is written simply as ‘Rs’. That doesn’t matter to them, but this seems to be an issue for them. Overall, our Budget was a hit across the nation, as was Tamil,” he said.

The chief minister was apparently referring to the language row between Tamil Nadu and the Centre.

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The ruling DMK has been accusing the BJP-led Union government of “imposing” Hindi on the Southern state through the National Education Policy, a charge denied by the latter.

The Tamil Nadu government has said it will not move away from its decades-old two-language formula of Tamil and English.

Stalin plays down criticism

Stalin further said the Budget presented on Friday (March 14) has been receiving all-round accolades and sought to play down opposition criticism, saying while the government was open for constructive criticism, “some only have vendetta against us”. The DMK government has managed to contain the debt situation, he said, citing statistics.

Furthermore, the government is keen to make Tamil Nadu a $1-trillion economy by 2030, even while it has to strive for the state’s rights and ensure justice in the wake of “threats” like decreased Lok Sabha seats after delimitation and issues related to central fund allocation, he said.

(With agency inputs)