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TN govt drops rupee symbol from budget amid language dispute with Centre
Amid its spat with the Centre over the National Education Policy (NEP) and other issues, the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has decided to remove the official rupee symbol from the state's Budget 2025-26, replacing it with the Tamil script equivalent.
Chennai : Amid its spat with the Centre over the National Education Policy (NEP) and other issues, the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has decided to remove the official rupee symbol from the state's Budget 2025-26, replacing it with the Tamil script equivalent.
This marks the first time a state has rejected the national currency symbol.
Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu will present the 2025-26 Budget on Friday.
Tamil Nadu has consistently refused to implement key aspects of NEP 2020, particularly the three-language formula. As a result, the Central government has withheld ₹573 crore in education assistance under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). According to policy guidelines, states must comply with NEP provisions to receive SSA funding, with the Centre covering 60 per cent of the allocation for states like Tamil Nadu.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin recently led a statewide protest against the Union government on March 11, condemning both the NEP and the proposed delimitation exercise, which he described as a threat to South India.
Addressing a public rally, Stalin said: "We oppose NEP because it will completely destroy Tamil Nadu’s education system. The policy disregards reservation, which is the foundation of social justice. It denies financial assistance to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs)."
Tamil Nadu has long viewed the three-language formula as an attempt to impose Hindi. Stalin accused the Centre of using funding as leverage against states that refused to implement central policies.
"Is there a greater example of anarchy than saying, 'If you do not adopt Hindi, we will not provide funds'?" he asked.
He reaffirmed that Tamil Nadu would continue its two-language policy (Tamil and English), which has been in place since 1968.
Criticising the Union government’s approach, Stalin urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to focus on the country’s development rather than promoting Hindi. He questioned the financial investments in Sanskrit, a language he claimed had limited speakers, while Tamil, a language spoken globally, was being sidelined.
Stalin’s comments came after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused the DMK of using the language issue to revive its political standing.
Pradhan called the DMK’s stance on NEP’s three-language formula "hypocritical" and a "mere political strategy". Responding to Pradhan’s remarks, Stalin asserted that "the Tamil people do not need a lecture on democracy from him".
