‘How Stupid…’: BJP’s ‘Designed By Tamilian’ Reminder As Stalin’s Govt Drops Official Rupee Symbol

Last Updated:March 13, 2025, 17:37 IST

Annamalai further expressed his disappointment with the government’s decision, stating that the move was the “last straw on the camel’s back”

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai on Thursday reminded the MK Stalin-led DMK government that the Indian rupee symbol was designed by a Tamilian. His criticism came in response to the state government’s decision to replace the rupee symbol with a Tamil letter in the logo for the 2025-26 state budget.

The move, which has sparked debate, comes ahead of the budget being presented in the state assembly on Friday.

Annamalai took to the social media platform X, calling out Stalin and his government for their decision. He pointed out that the rupee symbol was designed by a Tamilian, Thiru Udaya Kumar, and adopted by the entire nation.

“Thiru Udhay Kumar, who designed the symbol, is the son of a former DMK MLA. How stupid can you become, Thiru @mkstalin?,” Annamalai wrote in his post.

‘Last straw on camel’s back’

While speaking with CNN-News18, Annamalai further expressed his disappointment with the DMK government’s decision, stating that the move was the “last straw on the camel’s back.”

The Tamil Nadu BJP chief added that the DMK had entered a zone from which there was no return and warned that the decision would have serious consequences for the party.

“It’s going to blow back very, very hard… There’s no coming back for them now,” he stated.

Calling the Stalin government’s decision as “double standards,” Annamalai asserted that the people would not accept this move and would not forgive them for it.

The BJP leader further remarked that anything which challenges the concept of “Bharat” will not be accepted by the nation.

“Today they are changing the symbol… tomorrow they could say that a Tamil person in the Indian Army will wear a different uniform. They will pay a heavy price for it,” Annamalai warned.

An ‘irony’ for Stalin govt

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya also weighed in on the issue, calling it an “irony” for the Stalin government, given that the person who designed the rupee symbol is the son of a former DMK MLA.

“The irony doesn’t stop there—the symbol was adopted in 2010 when the Congress was in power at the Centre and the DMK governed the state,” Malviya wrote in his post on X.

He also shared an old video, presumably from 2010, showing Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram facilitating Udaya Kumar for his design.

The logo for the budget, released by the Stalin government on Thursday, carried ‘ru’, the first letter of the Tamil word ‘Rubaai,’ which denotes the Indian currency in the vernacular language. The logo also had the caption “everything for all,” indicating what the ruling DMK claims is its inclusive model of governance.

The decision to replace the rupee symbol with a Tamil letter in the logo for the state budget has drawn strong criticism from the BJP, especially given the ongoing tensions between the Tamil Nadu state government and the BJP-led central government.

The two parties are already at odds over the implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP) and the proposed three-language formula included in the policy.

ALSO READ: Stalin’s Govt Replaces Rupee Symbol With Tamil Letter In State Budget, Draws BJP Fire In Language War

(With inputs from agencies)

Location :

Tamil Nadu, India, India