Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has strongly criticised the Tamil Nadu authorities’s resolution 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 foreign money within the native language.
Sitharaman referred to as out the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam celebration for its stance, stating in a publish on X that the celebration ought to have voiced its opposition when the rupee image was formally adopted by the United Progressive Alliance authorities in 2010.
“Sarcastically, ‘₹’ was designed by Th D Udaya Kumar, the son of former DMK MLA N Dharmalingam. By erasing it now, the DMK just isn’t solely rejecting a nationwide image but additionally completely disregarding the inventive contribution of a Tamil youth.”
The finance minister additional acknowledged that the difficulty goes past symbolism. “It indicators a harmful mindset that weakens Indian unity and promotes secessionist sentiments below the pretence of regional satisfaction,” Sitharaman stated. She additionally referred to as it “a very avoidable instance of language and regional chauvinism.”
In defence, the DMK-led authorities in Tamil Nadu asserted that there was nothing incorrect with utilizing the native language within the state’s price range paperwork. State Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu is ready to current the price range for 2025-26 on Friday within the Tamil Nadu Meeting.
Sitharaman additional stated that the rupee image ‘₹’ is internationally recognised and performs a key function in selling India’s identification 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 foreign money image?” she requested.
“All elected representatives and authorities are sworn below the Structure to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of our nation,” she stated. “Eradicating a nationwide image like ‘₹’ from the state price range paperwork goes in opposition to that very oath, weakening the dedication to nationwide unity.”
