Tamil Nadu’s ‘Roo’ Controversy

The Larger Battle Over Linguistic Identity

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The recent decision by the Tamil Nadu government to use the Tamil letter Roo instead of the India Rupee symbol in government documents and for state budget has sparked a nationwide debate. What might have been perceived as a symbolic assertion of region al linguistic identity has quick ly escalated into a broader political and ideological bat tle, with questions of seces sion and countercharges of cultural imposition. The con troversy has raised pertinent questions about the role of language in national identity, the extent of regional autono my, and the historical tensions between Tamil Nadu and the Centre over linguistic policies.

Linguist Minister Manimla Sitharaman has described the use of ‘Roo’ as more than mere symbolism, claiming that it reflects a ‘dan gerous mindset’ that under mines Indian unity and fosters secessionist tendencies under the guise of regional pride. Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai went a step further, calling the move ‘stupid,’ par ticularly given that the Rupee symbol was designed by a Tamil designer from IITGuwahati, whose father was a former DMK legislator. For the BJP, DMK’s decision repre sents an unnecessary rejec tion of a national standard in favor of linguistic parochial ism.

However, for Tamil Nadu’s rul ing DMK, the use of Roo aligns with its long-standing opposition to perceived attempts at Hindi imposition by the central government. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has been vocal in his criticism of the National Education Policy (NEP), particularly its threelanguage formula, which he argues is a veiled effort to enforce Hindi learning in nonHindi-speaking states. By pro moting the equal treatment of all languages, the DMK seeks to reaffirm its commit ment to Tamil linguistic identi ty and autonomy. This strate gy also serves as an electoral positioning tactic, ensuring that language and regional identity remain cen tral issues as the state approaches its next assembly elections.