Rupee Symbol Row: Designer Udaya Kumar Responds, BJP Slams DMK Government

IIT Guwahati Professor Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, the designer of the Indian rupee symbol, has addressed the controversy over the Tamil Nadu government's decision to replace the symbol with the Tamil letter "Ru" in promotional material for the state budget.

Speaking to the media, Dharmalingam stated, "I don't have complete information behind the reasons for this change. Probably, the state governmenIndia t has its own ways, views, and reasons to make the changes. I designed this 15 years ago when the then Central government floated a competition, and I won it. After that, they implemented it, and it’s being widely used."

He further expressed surprise at the debate surrounding the rupee symbol, saying, "I am really happy about being the designer of this symbol, but I never expected such a debate to occur. It just somehow took this turn, and now there are a lot of concerns going on about the symbol itself."

BJP Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai strongly criticized the DMK government for replacing the rupee symbol, calling it an attempt to divert public attention from pressing issues. He remarked that the move had made the DMK a subject of ridicule nationwide.

Annamalai also highlighted that the rupee symbol, designed by a Tamilian, had been appreciated by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. He accused the DMK government of wanting to replace it solely due to its connection to the Devanagari script.

"It is not only condemnable but also laughable. In 2010, a Tamilian, Udaya Kumar, designed the symbol, which was a combination of Latin and Devanagari script, and it was selected in a national-level contest. He was appreciated by Kalaignar Karunanidhi, the then Tamil Nadu CM. Now, his son, CM M.K. Stalin, finds fault with it. They want to change it in 2025 because they say they are against the Devanagari script. His father accepted it, and this symbol was given by a Tamilian. I am sure the DMK fellows didn’t even know that Udaya Kumar is the son of a former DMK MLA. DMK has become a laughing stock across India. They are doing this to divert attention from other pressing public issues," Annamalai said.

He further criticized the DMK for prioritizing trivial issues instead of addressing real concerns of the Tamil people.

"DMK is hell-bent on discussing nonsensical issues. They are against Tamil interests, which is why they want to go against a design given by a Tamil person. How will changing a symbol benefit all sections of Tamil society?" he questioned.

Also Read: Rupee Symbol Changed, Replaced By Tamil Letter In State’s Budget Logo