Chennai, March 13 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's decision to remove the rupee symbol (₹) from the logo of the state's 2025-26 Budget, which will be presented in the Assembly on Friday, has sparked widespread criticism.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is among the latest to condemn the move.
Taking to social media platform X, she criticised the DMK government, calling it "a completely avoidable example of language and regional chauvinism".
She also said that the decision reflects a dangerous mindset that undermines India's unity.
Union Minister Sitharaman questioned the DMK's opposition to the rupee symbol, pointing out that it was officially adopted in 2010 under the Congress-led UPA government, during which the DMK was part of the ruling alliance at the Centre.
"This is more than mere symbolism -- it signals a dangerous mindset that weakens Indian unity and promotes secessionist sentiments under the pretence of regional pride. A completely avoidable example of language and regional chauvinism," she wrote.
She also reminded elected representatives of their constitutional duty to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of the nation, adding that removing a national symbol from state Budget documents contradicts that commitment.
Union Minister Sitharaman also highlighted the irony behind the decision, pointing out that the rupee symbol was designed by D. Udaya Kumar, the son of former DMK MLA N. Dharmalingam.
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BJP IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya also criticised the move, emphasising that Udaya Kumar, who designed the symbol in Devanagari script, is the son of a former DMK MLA.
"Chief Minister Stalin is insulting Tamilians by dropping the Indian rupee (₹) sign from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 document," he wrote on X.
Meanwhile AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami also condemned the DMK government's move, calling it a publicity stunt to divert attention from administrative failures.
In a social media post, he accused Chief Minister Stalin of engaging in "empty advertisement campaigns" that do not address the people's real needs.
He also criticised CM Stalin for delivering "scripted dialogues written by others", dismissing the move as a political gimmick.
Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai joined the chorus of criticism, questioning Stalin's decision to replace the rupee symbol with the Tamil letter "Ru" from "Rubaai", the Tamil word for rupee.
"The DMK government's state Budget for 2025-26 replaces the rupee symbol, which was designed by a Tamilian and adopted by the entire nation. How stupid can you become, Thiru @mkstalin?" he wrote.
The controversy comes amid an ongoing dispute between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre over language policies, with the DMK-led administration repeatedly accusing the Union government of imposing Hindi.
The removal of the rupee symbol is seen as part of this broader opposition, escalating Tamil Nadu's resistance to the National Education Policy.
The Tamil Nadu government defended its decision, stating that the Budget logo, released on Thursday, now carries the Tamil letter "Ru" from "Rubaai" to reflect the state's linguistic identity.
The logo also includes the caption "Everything for All", which the DMK claims represents its inclusive governance model.
This marks the first time a state has rejected the national currency symbol, intensifying debates on regional identity versus national unity.
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