The Tamil Nadu government has unveiled the front cover of its budget documents featuring the rupee symbol in Tamil instead of the official Devanagari-based design, amid its ongoing dispute with the Union government over the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language policy.
With the state budget set to be presented by Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu in the Assembly on March 14, Chief Minister MK Stalin has also released a short video ahead of the announcement, presenting it as an effort to ensure inclusive growth and development across all sections of society.
This budget, which will be the last of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) current tenure before the 2026 Assembly elections, is under close scrutiny as political tensions with the Union government continue to escalate.
The decision to use the Tamil ‘ரூ’ instead of the official rupee symbol introduced in 2010 is likely to be interpreted as part of the DMK’s broader opposition to policies perceived as attempts to impose Hindi in the state.
The three-language policy, a key aspect of the NEP, has been a contentious issue, with the Tamil Nadu government resisting its implementation, arguing that it undermines the state's linguistic identity.
The ongoing debate over Hindi imposition has drawn reactions not only from the DMK but also from opposition parties in the state, with the AIADMK and actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) also opposing the policy despite their differing political alignments.
As tensions over language and education policies persist, the DMK government is simultaneously preparing to host a Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on March 22, where leaders from southern states and Odisha will convene to oppose the Union government’s proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies.
In a series of high-level meetings, DMK delegations have engaged with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Chief Ministers Jagan Mohan Reddy and Naveen Patnaik, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to extend invitations for the JAC meeting.
With reports suggesting that Siddaramaiah, Revanth, and Patnaik are likely to attend the gathering, the DMK’s opposition to the proposed delimitation is gaining momentum, reflecting a broader regional pushback against policies perceived as unfavourable to southern states.