Why BJP shouldn't have taken DMK's rupee symbol bait

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s tirade against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu over replacement of the Devanagari rupee symbol in the state’s budget logo with the Tamil rupee letter and accusing the party of regional chauvinism and promoting secessionist sentiment are rapidly turning out to be a case of missing the woods for the trees.

“We had put ‘’ in it [state budget logo] to show how committed we are to the language policy. That’s all. But those who don’t like Tamil have made it a big news. I have a hundred demands on behalf of Tamil Nadu from the Union government, such as giving the salary for the 100-day work programme, disaster funds and releasing the school education funds. The Union finance minister, who did not respond to all of that, has [instead] spoken about this [issue],” chief minister M.K. Stalin has declared in his strong rebuttal, pointing out that Sitharaman had herself put ‘’ in many posts, and that in English too, everyone writes rupee.

Sitharaman, in a lengthy post on X, had presented six arguments against the DMK government’s move amidst the ongoing language debate. She said the party did not protest while the Devanagari rupee symbol was officially adopted under the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government in 2010.

Highlighting an “ironic” connection, Sitharaman noted that the ‘’ symbol was designed by D. Udaya Kumar, 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 the Tamil youth,” she said.

The finance minister also spoke about the historical roots of the Tamil word ‘Rupaai’, tracing it to the Sanskrit ‘Rupya,’ which refers to wrought silver or a worked silver coin. She said the term has been deeply embedded in Tamil trade and literature for centuries and is still used for currency in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Several other countries, such as Indonesia, Nepal, the Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka, use ‘Rupee’ or its derivatives as their currency name, reinforcing the global recognition of the term.

To top it, Sitharaman slammed the alleged move as “regional chauvinism” and stated that the rupee symbol serves as India’s financial identity in global transactions. At a time when India is pushing for cross-border payments through UPI, removing the symbol from budget documents “undermines national unity” and raises concerns over separatist tendencies, Sitharaman argued.

“All elected representatives and authorities are sworn under the Constitution to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of our nation. Removing a national symbol like ‘’ from the State Budget documents goes against that very oath,” Sitharaman asserted, adding that such actions weaken India’s commitment to unity.

Furthering the political uproar by the BJP over Stalin’s decision to change the rupee symbol to a Tamil alphabet, BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan wore a black dress to the legislative assembly as a sign of protest before eventually walking out. The All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and other Opposition parties also joined the walkout.

Sensing an opportunity, the DMK’s information technology wing hit back, calling the critics of being ignorant about Tamil history. In a post on X, it shared an image from a 1935 Tamil book showing the use of the Tamil letter for rupee. “History is a nightmare to ignorance! The Sanghi [Sangh Parivar] ecosystem is losing it over Tamil Nadu using the Tamil letter instead of the symbol as if centuries of Tamil usage are suddenly wrong,” it wrote. Moreover, the Tamil symbol is in vogue on public transport bus tickets in the state since 2022.

By accusing the DMK of failing to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of the nation by using the Tamil symbol, analysts point out that the BJP has unwittingly handed out an opportunity to the DMK to play on the sentiments of the Tamil people and evoke Tamil pride in the run-up to the assembly election next summer. As one commentator pointed out, the DMK is adept at moulding contexts to its convenience and advantage to come up trumps.

Strengthening that stand of the DMK is the state budget for 2025-26 itself. Coincidentally, Tamil Nadu finance minister Thangam Thenarasu has among his other portfolios planning, human resources management, statistics and archaeology. While presenting the budget on March 14, Thenarasu announced several key initiatives to promote Tamil language, support literary translations and advance archaeological excavations.

The budget underscored a dual approach to preserving Tamil culture, through archaeological and literary efforts, while advancing its reach through technological innovation. It also reflected the administration’s commitment to preserving and modernising Tamil heritage through strategic investments in technology, literature and historical research.

To further enrich the Tamil literary landscape, key allocations include Rs 7 crore for archaeological excavations at eight sites. Apart from the eight excavation sites in the state, the government is also planning to do additional research in other states, such as Palur in Odisha, Vengi in Andhra Pradesh and Maski in Karnataka, to trace Tamil influences beyond the region. Furthermore, the government announced the establishment of an Indus Valley Cultural Gallery at the Egmore Museum in Chennai to commemorate the centenary of the discovery of the Indus Valley civilisation.

Another significant allocation is Rs 10 crore for translating 600 global books into Tamil over the next three years. This effort seeks to provide Tamil readers with access to a diverse array of global literature while also promoting Tamil’s presence in international academic and literary circles. The state government also announced that a fund of Rs 1.3 crore has been allocated to the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation for translating Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural into more languages.

Recognising the evolving role of technology in linguistic preservation, an allocation of Rs 5 crore has been provided for Tamil language tech start-ups. This is expected to encourage the development of natural language processing tools, machine learning applications and artificial intelligence models designed to enhance Tamil’s usability in digital spaces. By integrating cultural preservation with modern advancements, the Tamil Nadu government claims to ensure that Tamil’s rich heritage remains relevant and accessible to future generations.

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