Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has strongly criticised the Tamil Nadu authorities’s choice to switch the rupee image with a Tamil character in its price range emblem for 2025-26, describing the transfer as indicative of a harmful mindset that undermines Indian unity.
The state authorities’s new emblem, unveiled on Thursday, featured ‘Ru,’ the primary letter of the Tamil phrase ‘Rubaai,’ which refers back to the Indian forex within the native language.
Sitharaman referred to as out the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam get together for its stance, stating in a submit on X that the get together ought to have voiced its opposition when the rupee image was formally adopted by the United Progressive Alliance authorities in 2010.
“Mockingly, ‘₹’ was designed by Th D Udaya Kumar, the son of former DMK MLA N Dharmalingam. By erasing it now, the DMK shouldn’t be solely rejecting a nationwide image but additionally completely disregarding the inventive contribution of a Tamil youth.”
The finance minister additional acknowledged that the problem goes past symbolism. “It alerts a harmful mindset that weakens Indian unity and promotes secessionist sentiments underneath the pretence of regional delight,” Sitharaman mentioned. She additionally referred to as it “a totally avoidable instance of language and regional chauvinism.”
In defence, the DMK-led authorities in Tamil Nadu asserted that there was nothing improper with utilizing the native language within the state’s price range paperwork. State Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu is about to current the price range for 2025-26 on Friday within the Tamil Nadu Meeting.
Sitharaman additional mentioned that the rupee image ‘₹’ is internationally recognised and performs a key position in selling India’s id in international monetary transactions. “At a time when India is pushing for cross-border funds utilizing UPI, ought to we actually be undermining our personal nationwide forex image?” she requested.
“All elected representatives and authorities are sworn underneath the Structure to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of our nation,” she mentioned. “Eradicating a nationwide image like ‘₹’ from the state price range paperwork goes in opposition to that very oath, weakening the dedication to nationwide unity.”