Nirmala Sitharaman’s 6-point counter to DMK’s Tamil rupee symbol switch

Sitharaman criticised the DMK saying the party did not protest while the Devanagari rupee symbol was officially adopted under the UPA government in 2010.

Highlighting an “ironic” connection, Sitharaman noted 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 utterly disregarding the creative contribution of a Tamil youth,” Sitharaman 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. Sitharaman added that 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.

The DMK government has reportedly removed the official Rupee symbol ‘₹’ from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 documents, which will be presented tomorrow.

If the DMK (@arivalayam) has a problem with ‘₹’, why didn’t it protest back in 2010 when it was officially adopted under the…

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) March 13, 2025

Sitharaman also pointed out that 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.

Slamming the alleged move as “regional chauvinism,” Sitharaman 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.

The language debate figured in the Parliament with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan allegedly using derogatory remarks against DMK MPs. His remarks were expunged from records and DMK MPs protested demanding his resignation.

The Centre had withheld funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, amounting to Rs 2,152 crore and Pradhan had earlier said the funds would be set aside unless Tamil Nadu implemented the NEP and adopted the three-language formula.

Earlier, Stalin had accused the BJP of chauvinism and treating people in the southern state like second-class citizens by denying its fair share for its objection to the NEP.