Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman was the last to weigh in today on the DMK's move to replace the rupee symbol with the Tamil letter (Ru), but with the sharpest barb. The move, she said, "signals a dangerous mindset that weakens Indian unity and promotes secessionist sentiments under the pretence of regional pride" and is a "completely avoidable example of language and regional chauvinism". She also questioned why the DMK had not made its reservations known earlier.
The state's ruling DMK had replaced the Devnagari rupee symbol (Re) in promotional material for the state budget - due on Friday morning -- making a point amid the blazing row over what it calls "imposition of Hindi" by the Centre through its mandatory three-language policy in schools.
Result -- since morning, the party has drawn massive political backlash. State BJP chief K Annamalai, pointing out that rupee symbol accepted by the nation has been drawn dram by the son of a former DMK MLA, tagged the state's ruling party "stupid".
Former Governor, the BJP's Tamilisai Soundarajan, alleged the swap "is against the Constitution" and challenged Mr Stalin to change his name to a Tamil alternative.
In the evening, the finance minister put in her response with a lengthy post on X.
Accusing the DMK of "utterly disregarding the creative contribution of a Tamil youth", she said, "All elected representatives and authorities are sworn under the Constitution to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of our nation. Removing a national symbol like 'Rs' from the State Budget documents goes against that very oath, weakening the commitment to national unity".
The DMK government has reportedly removed the official Rupee symbol 'Rs' from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 documents, which will be presented tomorrow.
The DMK government has reportedly removed the official Rupee symbol '₹' from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 documents, which will be presented tomorrow.
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) March 13, 2025
If the DMK (@arivalayam) has a problem with '₹', why didn't it protest back in 2010 when it was officially adopted under the...
"The Rupee symbol '₹' is internationally well-recognized and serves as a visible identity of India in global financial transactions. At a time when India is pushing for cross-border payments using UPI, should we really be undermining our own national currency symbol?" she added,
"If the DMK has a problem with '₹', why didn't it protest back in 2010 when it was officially adopted under the @INCIndia-led UPA government, at a time when the DMK was part of the ruling alliance at the Centre?" she also questioned.
The DMK has claimed that the use of 'Ru' only is meant to prioritise Tamil and express their love of language. "There is nothing illegal about it... this is not a 'showdown'. We prioritise Tamil, that is why the government went ahead with this," said DMK leader Saravanan Annadurai.
In an election year, the DMK has opened two fronts against the BJP-led Centre - the three-language policy which the Centre wants Tamil Nadu to implement, and delimitation. Both, the DMK has argued, are ruses to establish the domination of the north - through language and culture and politics.
The Centre has pointed out that Hindi is just one language in the 22-language bouquet of the Education Policy. Union minister Amit Shah has conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance that the south will not lose a single seat through delimitation.
The row, though, continues to snowball.
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