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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) staged a walkout from the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday as the state’s 2025-26 budget was being presented. The opposition parties accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of presenting an unproductive budget while also protesting the controversial rupee symbol swap and allegations of corruption in the state-run liquor agency, TASMAC. BJP Calls Budget a ‘Cover-Up’ BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit chief, K Annamalai, termed the budget an “eye-washing exercise” and criticized the government for not addressing key concerns.
“Our four MLAs walked out for a simple reason—the whole budget is an eye-wash. There is nothing productive about it,” Annamalai said. The walkout highlights the growing tension between the DMK and opposition parties, particularly as the state gears up for next year’s Assembly elections.
Tamil Nadu has traditionally been resistant to BJP’s nationalist politics, making the upcoming polls a critical test for the party. Re-Ru Swap Sparks Controversy The budget presentation also reignited the ‘Re-Ru’ symbol controversy, with the BJP strongly opposing the replacement of the rupee symbol (Re) in the budget logo with the Tamil letter (Ru), which is commonly used to denote currency in the state. Annamalai accused the DMK of creating unnecessary division.
“The Tamil Nadu government wanted to change the rupee symbol and created so much ruckus,” he stated. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also slammed the change, calling it a “secessionist move” that signals a “dangerous mindset.” The DMK, however, defended the decision.
Party leader Saravanan Annadurai dismissed the controversy, stating, “There is nothing illegal...
This is not a ‘showdown’. We prioritize Tamil, and that is why we went with this.” Liquor Scam Allegations Apart from the rupee symbol row, the BJP and AIADMK also targeted the DMK over alleged financial irregularities in TASMAC, the state-run liquor agency.
BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan cited an Enforcement Directorate (ED) report that flagged multiple irregularities and unaccounted cash worth Rs 1,000 crore. “Our walkout is on two issues—the first is the ED’s findings of financial irregularities in TASMAC, and the second is the disrespect shown to the rupee symbol,” Srinivasan said. AIADMK’s Position The AIADMK, which has been cautious in its stance on the ‘Hindi imposition’ debate, has been more vocal in attacking the DMK over the alleged liquor scam.
Party leader and former Chief Minister E Palaniswami led a walkout of over 60 AIADMK MLAs, demanding the immediate resignation of the DMK government over the allegations. The opposition parties are drawing parallels between the Tamil Nadu TASMAC scam and the Delhi excise policy case, which led to the BJP’s resurgence in the national capital. Shiv Sena leader shot dead in Punjab’s Moga after being chased on bike MK Stalin challenges Centre, BJP on language policy MK Stalin urges newlyweds to now have more children, links it to delimitation concerns Your email address will not be published.
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