The political and legal confrontation between DMK leader and former Union Shipping Minister TR Baalu and BJP leader K Annamalai has drawn attention to long-standing allegations linked to the shipping sector and the Sethusamudram project.
Baalu had filed a defamation case against Annamalai over allegations that, during his tenure as Union Shipping Minister, he had misused his office to facilitate the purchase of 10 ships for companies allegedly linked to him.
During court proceedings held a few days ago, Annamalai was reported to have reiterated his accusation that Baalu had abused his ministerial position. Baalu, in his submission before the court, stated that he had purchased only two ships, not ten, and had denied any wrongdoing.
The case formed the immediate backdrop to the political confrontation between the two leaders, with the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project continuing to feature prominently in their exchanges.
Sethusamudram Political Backdrop
Chief Minister MK Stalin and senior DMK leaders, including Baalu, had continued to advocate for the revival of the Sethusamudram project, arguing that it would generate employment and economic growth in Tamil Nadu. The DMK had accused the BJP-led Union government of shelving the project on religious grounds linked to the Ram Setu issue.
In January 2023, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution urging the Centre to implement the project without delay. Baalu had also spoken at public forums defending the canal project and criticising the halt.
Annamalai, on his part, had repeatedly alleged that the project would benefit only a few DMK leaders. He had specifically named shipping companies allegedly linked to Baalu and DMK MP Kanimozhi and had maintained that the BJP would not allow any project alignment that could damage Ram Setu.
Jayalalithaa’s 2014 Attack Resurfaces
Amid the renewed political and legal confrontation, past remarks by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa targeting Baalu over the same project have resurfaced in political discourse.
Taking on Baalu, then the DMK nominee, during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, Jayalalithaa had accused him and the DMK of forcefully pushing the Sethusamudram project to advance private business interests.
Addressing an election rally in the Cauvery delta region from where Baalu was contesting, she alleged that family members of Baalu and DMK leader M Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi had investments in shipping firms.
She said the spouses of Baalu, Porkodi and Renukadevi, held shares in Meenam Fisheries Limited, a company that owned ships. She also alleged that Kanimozhi held shares in Westgate Logistics. Jayalalithaa demanded financial transparency from Baalu. In a pointed attack, she said: “The majority of shares in a company called Meenam Fisheries Ltd. are held by the candidate from this constituency TR Baalu and his wives, Porkodi and Renukadevi. TR Baalu should inform what kind of ships this company owns, what is their depth, whether they can pass through the Sethusamudram channel and what profit the company will get from the Sethusamudram project. Similarly, Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi holds the majority of shares in a company called Westgate Logistics. This company is also involved in the shipping business. The Sethusamudram project will destroy the livelihood of fishermen and increase their industrial strength.”
பழைய வீடியோ
தோண்டி எடுத்திட்டாங்க..! pic.twitter.com/zjQRathXGS— Chinnappa Ganesan (@directorganesan) February 17, 2026
She further criticised the DMK for continuing to support the project despite expert reservations, referring to an assessment by a committee headed by RK Pachauri which had raised concerns about economic viability and environmental feasibility.
Continuing Political Flashpoint
With Baalu’s defamation suit against Annamalai now active and the Sethusamudram project once again part of the political narrative, the decades-long controversy linking shipping policy, economic interests and religious concerns has re-entered public debate.
Source: The New Indian Express
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