The presentation of this year’s budget has been overshadowed by controversy following Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s decision to remove the Indian rupee symbol (₹) from the state budget’s official logo.
CHENNAI — Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu is set to present the state budget for the financial year 2025-26 on Friday in the Assembly Hall of the Assembly-cum-Secretariat complex at Fort St. George here.
Speaker M. Appavu stated that the House’s Business Advisory Committee would convene to determine the duration of the budget session. Additionally, the state government will present the Agriculture Budget for 2025-26 on Saturday, March 15.
The presentation of this year’s budget has been overshadowed by controversy following Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s decision to remove the Indian rupee symbol (₹) from the state budget’s official logo. Instead, the Tamil alphabet ‘Roo’ (‘ரூ’) has been used to represent ‘Roobai,’ the Tamil word for rupee.
On Thursday (March 13), CM Stalin unveiled the promotional logo for the budget, featuring the new symbol along with the slogan “Ellarkum Ellam” (Everything for Everyone), emphasising inclusiveness. However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders and Union Ministers, who have accused the DMK government of promoting linguistic and regional chauvinism.
AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) condemned the DMK’s decision, calling it a publicity stunt aimed at diverting attention from governance failures.
In a social media post, he criticised CM Stalin for prioritising symbolic gestures over addressing the real issues faced by the people. He also accused the chief minister of delivering “scripted dialogues written by others” and dismissed the move as a political gimmick.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also weighed in, strongly condemning the DMK government’s decision.
Taking to social media, she described it as “a completely avoidable example of language and regional chauvinism.”
She argued that the removal of the rupee symbol undermines national unity and fosters divisive sentiments. Sitharaman also pointed out the irony of the DMK’s stance, noting that the rupee symbol was officially adopted in 2010 under the Congress-led UPA government, in which the DMK was a coalition partner.
She further highlighted that the 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 disregarding the creative contribution of a Tamil youth,” she remarked.
Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai also criticised the move, questioning the rationale behind replacing the rupee symbol. In a sharp remark directed at CM Stalin, he wrote: “The DMK government’s state budget for 2025-26 replaces the rupee symbol, which was designed by a Tamilian and adopted by the entire nation. How stupid can you become, Thiru @mkstalin?”
The controversy comes at a time of ongoing tensions between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre over language policies.
The DMK-led administration has consistently opposed the Union government’s alleged imposition of Hindi, particularly through the National Education Policy (NEP). The removal of the rupee symbol is being seen as part of Tamil Nadu’s broader resistance to Central policies perceived as undermining regional identity.
As the budget is presented, all eyes will be on how the government addresses economic challenges and development priorities amid the political storm.