The DMK government in Tamil Nadu has replaced the rupee symbol with Tamil letter in its budget document, sparking a debate on language politics.
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00:00Let's therefore then turn to the big questions that we want to raise because this is a high-stakes political game now
00:07Is MK's talent playing with fire?
00:09Is the DMK's rupee gambit replacing the rupee
00:14with a Tamil symbol
00:16fraught with danger?
00:18Are we seeing a growing trust deficit between Centre and Tamil Nadu government widening or is this pure politics?
00:24Face off today's Salim Dharni Dharan is the spokesperson of the DMK. Vinod Selvam is from the BJP
00:32Appreciate both of you joining us
00:34Mr. Dharni Dharan, you know when
00:37Something as sensitive as the currency of this country
00:41The lettering is sought to be replaced with Tamil symbols
00:45What is the message that the DMK is sending out in a budget document?
00:50It almost seems to some as if you are rejecting what is seen as a unifying national symbol
00:59No, no, I see first of all more uniformity does not mean more more unity
01:03In fact, we need more diversity for more unity
01:06This is nothing to do with the rejection of the symbol is more to do with see in Tamil
01:11What is rupee? Rupee is called as rubai. The ru, the Tamil alphabet has been used because that whole plant that whole
01:17The whole material was in Tamil language as simple as it is to emphasize the importance given to Tamil
01:23This is symbolic
01:25Suddenly you have woken up to it, Salim Dharni Dharan
01:27This is a rupee symbol that has existed for 16 years
01:31Suddenly one day you wake up of the backdrop many believe of the national education policy language debate
01:37And say we are going to replace the rupee symbol with Tamil lettering. Come on
01:41See, no, we are not did we like the prime minister go and in one night overall replace all the notes and put people into agony
01:48It's a budget document prepared by Tamil Nadu government, Tamil Nadu taxpayers money
01:52We are going to decide how it's going to be spent
01:54That document we are putting the Tamil alphabet
01:56It is not that we are saying that the currency should be replaced with ru
02:00Okay, all we are saying is all languages, Schedule 8 languages should be given equal importance
02:04Hindi, Tamil or Malayalam or Telugu or Kannada or equal
02:09None of the languages have more importance than the other
02:13That's all
02:15May be because Hindi is spoken by 28% of the people as mother tongue does not mean that it is more important than Tamil
02:20At the same time I am not disrespecting Hindi or any other language for that matter
02:24But no importance, no more importance to one language
02:28So you are making, exactly in your answer Mr. Dharni Dharan you are making a political point
02:35What you are trying to do is you are now using the rupee to make a political point
02:43See, the point is who brought us to this situation
02:46It is the BJP, what did the DMK do in the 60s and Congress did the same thing then
02:50Now of course we are in alliance, Congress has understood, they are fighting for state rights
02:54Back then not, we fought them tooth and nail and it is only because of the DMK we don't have Hindi as a national language
02:59It is only because of the DMK the first constitutional amendment was brought about and reservations were introduced
03:03And now through NEP, through UGC reforms, NEET, the list goes on and on
03:08They are trying to destroy the federal ethos and more importantly leave all aside
03:12This is a simple message, Tamil is important
03:14If you hit, if the union government is trying to destroy the federalism of this land
03:18The voice will erupt from Tamil Nadu, we will make sure India remains a federal secular country
03:23And this is for betterment of the country
03:25Let me bring that to Vinod Selvam
03:29Vinod Selvam here, you are hearing the DMK saying we are only emphasising the importance of Tamil in a multilingual society
03:37Do you see this as pure symbolism which any government is entitled to or a threat to national unity as some are suggesting?
03:45Rajdeep, we can clearly see that the Chief Minister is being very misguided at this point
03:52It is a national symbol which has been accepted by people for the last 16 years
03:57And the symbol was not just made up overnight but it was decided after a lot of research, after a lot of scholars were put on the job
04:04And it is not a Hindi word
04:06It is a word which combines all the concepts of Davidianism, to Latin, to Roman
04:11All the concepts were put in together to design a symbol which can be used as uniform throughout the world for the Indian rupee
04:18Now trying to meddle with these things is nothing but stupid
04:22It is stupidity at its core which is what the DMK is doing
04:25Nothing to but just hide the shortcomings of the DMK government
04:29Today if you see, two hours back, the Enforcement Directorate has released a document
04:34where they have clearly said that the task mark which supplies alcohol to the bars and the wine shops of Tamil Nadu
04:40has indulged in a malpractice amounting to over 1000 crores
04:45So what Kejriwal did in Delhi, what KCR did in Telangana, what Congress did in Chhattisgarh
04:51Their partner, the DMK has done in Tamil Nadu
04:54And if you see closely, all the liquor companies which have been supplying to the task mark are 70% owned by the DMK members
05:02So many kickbacks have been found out, more than 1000 crores has been there
05:06And just to hide all this, just to divert the attention from the corruption scam
05:11DMK means corruption, just to hide the corruption
05:14They are now trying to divert by saying Ru, Ra, Ra, this and all that but it is not going to work
05:20You don't accept Mr. Vinod Selvam that all the Tamil Nadu government is doing is emphasizing
05:27that they are a government which is committed to a multilingual India where Tamil has its specific place
05:35They are not bothered about, DMK is least bothered about Tamil language
05:40I am telling you, the number of students failing in Tamil language has been increasing over the years
05:46Ever since DMK came to power, the 11th standard examination, 11,000 students have failed to appear in the first examination
05:52That is the standard of education that the DMK is providing in Tamil Nadu
05:56All they do is fast and all they do is try to create a narrative
06:00But now this time around in 2025, they are failing miserably in the narrative setting
06:06And 2026 is going to teach them the hardest lesson they ever have been taught before
06:11You know, Mr. Dhardi Dharan, the larger point which is being made not just by Vinod Selvam
06:16but by a number of objective observers looking at Tamil Nadu
06:19is that these are all weapons of mass distraction
06:22You have an election one year from now
06:24You don't want the public to focus on alleged misgovernance or alleged issues of corruption
06:30You want to create an emotional issue
06:32You found that in creating an old style linguistic war of sorts between Tamil Nadu and Delhi
06:40This is shadow boxing and shadow boxing that can now spiral out of control
06:44Is this a weapon of mass distraction?
06:51See Rajdeep, so firstly before I answer that, I have to dispel some lies which was thrown
06:55because it can't be used as a platform to spread lies
06:57Under DMK last year, the pass percentage in Tamil was 97%
07:02I have the proof, people can go and check in Google
07:05And similarly, it is preposterous to say that we are trying to do it for election or divert issues
07:10because we have provided very good governance
07:12The law and order has improved, everything has improved
07:14In fact, who is picking up the issue?
07:16It's the BJP that picked up the issue, Annamalai came and spoke
07:19and news channels picked it up
07:20Only then now it's being discussed
07:22We only wanted to give importance to Tamil and want to symbolize the message that Tamil will remain
07:28and because that's our regional identity
07:31You want to hide the issues of alleged corruption is the charge being made
07:35Who blew it outside of proportion, the BJP?
07:39See, he can make anything and whatever
07:41but is any DMK minister convicted?
07:43Currently none
07:44He said about the other chief ministers
07:47but the matter is sub judice
07:49Just because ED suspects something and files a case
07:53does not mean that they have committed the crime
07:55Right?
07:56So what happened to 2G?
07:57We realized that 2G scam was the biggest scam
07:59because they had an agenda
08:01The BJP and the officer involved
08:03was involved with the BJP
08:07and that's why the scam erupted
08:08It's been 10 years of BJP rule
08:09Was anything that happened in 2G?
08:10Nothing
08:11So our leaders spent several years of their life in jail
08:15and the party got a bad name
08:16Why?
08:17So unless court gives a verdict
08:19we should not come and say that they made a scam
08:23Right?
08:24There is no proof that DMK is involved in corruption
08:26We call BJP spokespersons or ADMK spokespersons
08:29and say DMK is involved in corruption
08:31doesn't make that we are corrupt
08:33Where is the proof?
08:34Give the proof
08:35Right?
08:36Without proof, I can come and say
08:37Vinod Selvam is corrupt
08:39He has stolen money from me
08:41But where is the proof?
08:42Right?
08:43So if I have to accuse someone
08:44I have to give a proof
08:45Okay, let me
08:46You know, Vinod Selvam
08:48Vinod Selvam
08:49You can't just file a case
08:50The fear is, Vinod Selvam
08:51there is a widening trust deficit
08:53between Chennai and Delhi
08:55Instead of reaching out to Chennai
08:57what happens?
08:58The education minister a few days ago
09:00in parliament suggested
09:01that this is uncivilized behavior
09:03There seems to be an unwillingness
09:05to appreciate that
09:06maybe there are sentiments in Tamil Nadu
09:08represented by the DMK
09:10that feel that the center
09:12is imposing language on them
09:14and therefore Tamil Nadu
09:15is making up a larger point
09:17How do you respond to that?
09:19That the center needs to bridge the trust deficit
09:21instead of taking on the DMK
09:23The DMK is simply because
09:24it's an opposition government
09:26Okay, before I get to that point
09:28The DMK spokesperson has to remember
09:31that for the 2G scam
09:33their leaders were put behind bars
09:34by their ally Congress
09:36It was not the BJP who put them behind bars
09:38Right now their minister
09:39Senthil Balaji is out on bail
09:41The day they came out of bail
09:42he has again made a minister
09:43because he is their cash cow
09:45These are things which the DMK cannot forget
09:47From the days of Sarkaria commission
09:49till now DMK has been a corrupt party
09:51and please don't try to deny that
09:52on any platform
09:53and you will lose very badly
09:55Moving on
09:56All the partners of the DMK
09:58including the Congress
09:59have accepted the new education policy
10:01Now the CM of Tamil Nadu
10:03has reached out to the Karnataka CM
10:05asking him to participate in the delimitation debate
10:07But if these people were really bothered
10:09about Tamil Nadu
10:11they should have gone to Karnataka
10:12and spoken about the Megadhooth issue
10:14Did they bring it up?
10:15The Karnataka government
10:16has been repeatedly saying
10:17that they will build a dam
10:18across the Megadhooth
10:20The incapable leaders of the DMK
10:22have not opened their mouth on that
10:24They don't have the audacity
10:25to go and speak about that
10:26It is absolute cowardice
10:27what they are doing
10:28and it is absolute politics
10:30Just like how they are responsible
10:31for 10 people
10:32for 10 children
10:33to end their lives
10:34trusting the word
10:36that the DMK was going to ban
10:38the NEET examinations
10:39which they never did
10:40So DMK has blood on its hands
10:42The death of the 10 children
10:44DMK is responsible for that
10:46Similarly
10:47they are trying to take up
10:48a language debate
10:49which is not even there
10:50because the word Hindi
10:51has not been mentioned
10:52anywhere
10:53in the new education policy
10:55There has not been
10:56one DMK leader
10:57who has come out
10:58being able to prove that
10:59They are a bunch of liars
11:01and they continue to lie
11:02and deceive people
11:03but this time around
11:04it has backfired
11:05so badly for them
11:06It has backfired so badly
11:07for the DMK
11:08that they have got on the back foot
11:09Ok, I want to ask you
11:10Dharni Dharan
11:11in conclusion
11:12The irony is
11:13that the person
11:14who designed this rupee symbol
11:15is a Tamilian
11:16Think about it
11:17A Tamilian
11:18has designed the rupee symbol
11:19and today
11:20you seem to see
11:21that particular symbol
11:22as an imposition by Delhi
11:24and thereby
11:25want to replace it
11:26with the Tamil symbol
11:27I mean
11:28come on again
11:29You know Mr. Dharni Dharan
11:30surely there are
11:31far more important issues
11:32that the Tamil Nadu
11:33government should be
11:34focusing on
11:35No, no
11:36Yes, yes
11:37Exactly
11:38That's what I'm saying
11:39That's what I'm saying
11:40It's a channel
11:41that is picking it up
11:42We have just used
11:43the Tamil word
11:44Ru
11:45That doesn't mean
11:46that we are
11:47Hey, he is very creative
11:48And he even did not
11:49come and blame
11:50the Tamil Nadu government
11:51He is going to
11:52remain the symbol
11:53for the rupee
11:54Because this is
11:55the RBI
11:56Here in the budget
11:57document
11:58Tamil Nadu
11:59taxpayer money
12:00But again
12:01The BJP spokesperson
12:02to stop his water boundary
12:03He now went and
12:04spoke about Megadadu
12:05And DMK has made it clear
12:06that Megadadu
12:07will not happen
12:08DPR for Megadadu
12:09was prepared during
12:10BJP's rule in Karnataka
12:11when their ally
12:12AADMK was in power here
12:13They both in cahoots
12:14allowed that to happen
12:15Now he comes and
12:16topic is about using RU, Tamil alphabet there, right?
12:20But he comes and talks about anything and everything which has no correlation whatsoever
12:24and complete lie.
12:25And this, this can't be used as a platform to dispel rumours and lies as he has spoken
12:29with evidence.
12:30When Meghadam, DPR, financial sector was all awarded during BJP's rule in Karnataka and
12:34ADMK's rule here when they are in alliance.
12:36And my leader has clearly said it won't, it won't happen, he won't allow it to happen
12:39and no step has taken further there.
12:41And now he comes and calls, now he comes and casts aspersion on us which is unacceptable
12:46absolutely.
12:47But the issue is that we have used the Tamil alphabet, I think there is nothing wrong with
12:51it.
12:52Tamil is the oldest language in India, right?
12:54We want to give importance to it.
12:56Okay, you want to give importance to it.
12:58The best way, there could be several other ways to give importance to a language apart
13:02from the fact that during a specific document you choose to replace the rupee symbol with
13:07Tamil lettering.
13:08It clearly suggests that you are playing with the politics of language and it's only
13:13going to escalate perhaps ahead of election next year.
13:16But I appreciate my two guests joining me here, Mr Dharani Dharan and Vinod Selvam.
13:20As I said, as a rule we don't get spokespersons now because we don't want noise.
13:27But I think we had two clear viewpoints emerging there, both from the BJP, one from the DMK.