public cause. He came to political limelight when he was jailed for one year under MISA in 1976 for protesting against Emergency clamped in the country. He protested strongly against the midnight arrest and imprisonment of his party leader Karunanidhi on 30 June 2001. At that time, he was the union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. And it was the first time, a Cabinet Minister to be arrested by a State's Police Force. Baalu is married to Renuka Devi and Porkodi and he has three sons and two daughters. His first son, R.B. Raj Kumar, is the Chairman of Kings India Chemicals. His second son, Dr. T R B Rajaa is the incumbent MLA from Mannargudi Constituency elected from the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections and the Secretary of the party's IT Wing. His third son, Selvakumar Baalu is the CEO of Twice group. Elections contested and positions held 1986–1992 : was elected as a Member, Rajya Sabha 1996: Elected to Lok Sabha (Eleventh) for the 1st time 1996-1998: Minister of State, Petroleum, Natural Gas and Non-Conventional Energy Sources 1998: Elected to Lok Sabha (Twelfth) for the second time 1999: Elected to Lok Sabha (Thirteenth) for the third time 1999-2003: Cabinet Minister, Environment and Forests 2004: Elected to Lok Sabha (Fourteenth) for the fourth time from Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency) 2004-2009: Cabinet minister for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways. 2009: Elected to Lok Sabha (Fifteenth) for the fifth time from Sriperumbudur 2019: Elected to Lok Sabha (Seventeenth) for the sixth time from Sriperumbudur As a member of parliament and minister Baalu is one of the prominent leaders to work towards the implementation of Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project. He was handling it during his tenure as the minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways. The project proposes linking the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka by creating a shipping canal through the shallow sea sometimes called Setu Samudram, and through the chain of islands variously known as Ram Sethu or the Adam's Bridge. A few organisations are opposing the dredging of Ramasethu on religious, environmental and economical grounds. Many of these parties and organisations support implementation of this project using one of the five alternative alignments considered earlier without damaging the structure considered sacred by Hindus. During 2006, the Supreme Court Baalu quashed a case requesting a ban