Stalin govt changes Rupee symbol with Tamil letter in the Budget logo

NEP SHOWDOWN: HINDI VS TAMIL

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CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu's government escalated its language dispute with the Central government on Thursday by replacing the standard Devanagari rupee symbol with a Tamil character in its 2025-26 budget logo. This unprecedented action demonstrates the state's continued opposition to the three-language approach outlined in the National Education Policy.

The development follows recent political tensions over language policy, with Tamil Nadu formally rejecting the National Education Policy. Chief Minister M K Stalin has alleged that the Central government is attempting to force Hindi on the state through this policy, characterizing the NEP as a "saffron policy" designed to advance Hindi rather than national interests.

The DMK has also asserted that Tamil Nadu would not tolerate "Hindi colonialism" replacing British colonialism, while the Union government has accused the state government of being "dishonest" and "ruining the future of the students" in the state for politics.

The logo for the budget, released by the government on Thursday, carried 'ru', the first letter of the Tamil word 'Rubaai', which denotes the Indian currency in the vernacular language. Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu is scheduled to table the budget on Friday.