Tamil Push in Budget Sparks Political Controversy

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin replaced the Indian rupee symbol with the Tamil letter 'Ru' in the 2025-26 budget to affirm the state's language policy. This move stirred political tensions with the BJP, especially after criticism from Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, has swapped the Indian rupee symbol with the Tamil letter 'Ru' for the 2025-26 budget. This symbolic change is meant to underscore the ruling DMK's commitment to its language policy, a step that has ignited political discourse.

Stalin, addressing the public in his 'Ungalil Oruvan' video series, criticized Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for focusing on this symbol change while allegedly ignoring Tamil Nadu's financial requests. He positioned this issue as part of a broader linguistic debate between the Tamil Nadu government and the BJP-led Union government.

This change to the budget logo has drawn significant notice and controversy, with the BJP criticizing the move. Stalin defended the budget move as a statement on Tamil pride and policy, noting the positive reception of their financial plan nationwide. He reiterated the state's commitment to language rights amid broader economic and political challenges.