Dangerous mindset that weakens India: FM Sitharaman on TN govt's decision to replace rupee symbol

Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday lashed out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin for replacing the rupee symbol in the state Budget document with a Tamil letter, asserting that it was an unavoidable example of language and regional chauvinism.

In a move amid the three-language debate, the Stalin government has changed the budget logo to feature the Tamil letter for 'Ru' instead of the rupee symbol. This is perhaps the first time any state has dropped the national currency symbol.

In her post on X, Sitharaman said the replacing of the rupee symbol signalled a dangerous mindset "that weakens Indian unity and promotes secessionist sentiments under the pretence of regional pride".

"Moreover, the Tamil word 'Rupaai'itself has deep roots in the Sanskrit word 'Rupya', meaning 'wrought silver' or 'a worked silver coin'. This term has resonated across centuries in Tamil trade and literature, and even today, 'Rupaai' remains the currency name in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka," she said.

Sitharaman questioned why the DMK did not protest against the rupee symbol when it was officially adopted under the then Congress-led UPA government in 2010. The DMK and Congress are allies and are a part of the ruling alliance in Tamil Nadu.

"Ironically, '' was designed by Th D Udaya Kumar, the son of former DMK MLA N Dharmalingam. By erasing it now, the DMK is not only rejecting a national symbol but also utterly disregarding the creative contribution of a Tamil youth," she said.

Tamil Nadu finance minister Thangam Thennarasu is scheduled to table the budget for 2025-26 on Friday. The logo carried 'ru', the first letter of the Tamil word 'Rubaai', which denotes the Indian currency in the vernacular language.

"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 asked. She cited countries like Indonesia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Seychelles and Sri Lanka officially using Rupee or its 'equivalent/derivatives' as their currency name.