New Delhi: DMK-led Tamil Nadu government move to replace the rupee symbol signals a dangerous mindset that weakens Indian unity and promotes secessionist sentiments under the pretence of regional pride, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday.
Launching a scathing attack on DMK, she said the party should have protested when the rupee symbol was adopted by the UPA in 2010. DMK was part of the ruling UPA alliance at the Centre.
“Ironically, rupee symbol was designed by 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.
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The attack comes on the day when DMK government has reportedly removed the official Rupee symbol ‘₹’ from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 documents, which will be presented on Friday.
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. The logo also had the caption “everything for all,” indicating what the ruling DMK claims is its inclusive governance model.
“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,” Sitharaman said in a tweet.
All elected representatives and authorities are sworn under the Constitution to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of our nation, she said, adding removing a national symbol from the State Budget documents goes against that very oath, weakening the commitment to national unity.
Sharing historical perspective, the finance minister said, 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.
In fact, she said, several countries, including Indonesia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, officially use ‘Rupee’ or its ‘equivalent/derivatives’ as their currency name.
“Rupee symbol is internationally well-recognized and serves as a visible identity of India in global financial transactions. At a time when India is pushing for cross-border payments using UPI, should we really be undermining our own national currency symbol?” she wondered.
