A recent political spat over the non-use of the rupee symbol by the Tamil Nadu government was not only tasteless but something that could have been avoided. It turned out to be just a so much ado about nothing debate, hogging the media limelight and giving opportunities to television anchors to talk their viewers to a yawn without a clue about the real issue.The controversy was also a setback to Tamil Nadu, whose two other ongoing fights with the Union government — one, over the imposition of the three-language policy and two, the delimitation process possibly handing out a short shrift to states that controlled population — have garnered adequate support all over the country.The rupee sign controversy was triggered by state BJP president K. Annamalai, who found something remiss in a promotional video released by the state government ahead of the presentation of its Budget and put out a message on X channel, saying, “How stupid can you become, Thiru M.K. Stalin”.Mr Annamalai’s grouse was that the logo for the Budget for 2025-26 had a Tamil alphabet ‘Ru’ indicating the rupee instead of the rupee symbol that has been incorporated in the currency notes and adopted all over the country. While he did not elucidate as to what exactly was wrong with the government using a Tamil alphabet in its logo in the message, he did not fail to mention that the symbol the state government had neglected was designed by a Tamilian.Soon, replying to that message on X, someone produced screenshots of old messages of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, put out in 2017, and Annamalai himself in 2024, having the same Tamil alphabet Ru to denote rupee. And the wrangling, at least, should have ended there, though it should have never started at all.News channels escalated the issue, detecting a case of treachery in the dropping of the symbol that came into existence only in 2010. Even Nirmala Sitharaman went to town through X and raised the question as to why the DMK did not object to the adoption of the design as the symbol for rupee by the UPA government, in which it was a part, and saying that the designer of the symbol was the son of a former DMK MLA.Her anger stemmed from the DMK “removing” the symbol from the logo to neglect a national insignia, besides rejecting the creative work of a Tamilian. Without making it clear how it was mandatory for everyone to use only a symbol that cannot be typed out in computer keyboards whenever a reference is made to the Indian rupee, she just launched into a harangue.While it is true that the state budget logo could have incorporated the symbol as it was done the previous year, not because it was created by a Tamilian but because it has gained acceptance all over the world, the BJP’s allegation that it devalued the Indian currency is preposterous.If the use of Tamil alphabet Ru in the logo went against national integration and militated against the oath taken by elected members, as alleged by Ms Sitharaman, are she and her party colleague, Mr Annamalai, not guilty of the same charges? After all, political wrangles do not follow any rhyme or reason.
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