Baalu was born on 13 December 1941 (his official DOB remains as 15 June due to confusion at the time of his birth) to Rajuthevar and Vadivambal at Thalikottai in Thiruvarur District of Tamil Nadu.

He was active in grass-root politics and made friends with his then neighbouring ward's youth wing personnel Stalin, who did not act like a big shot even though he was the son of the then Party President and Chief Minister Dr. Kalaignar Mu.

[1][2] Baalu was first elected to Parliament as a member of Rajya Sabha in 1986, marking the first electoral defeat of AIADMK since MGR came to power.

Baalu is now the Leader of DMK Parliamentary Party in Lok Sabha and He also held the charge as Chairman of the Department Related Standing Committee of Parliament of the Ministry of Railways.

He came to political limelight when he was jailed for one year under MISA along with DMK supremos Stalin, Maran and Dravidar Kazhagam leader K. Veeramani in 1976 for protesting against Emergency clamped in the country.

[citation needed] Baalu is married to his long-term love Renuka Devi and later to his niece Porkkodi, and has three sons and two daughters.

[3] His second son T R B Rajaa (Renuka) is considered to be his Political Successor, having won 3 consecutive Tamil Nadu Assembly elections from their native constituency Mannargudi and now holds high offices both in the party (as DMK IT Wing Secretary) and the Tamil Nadu Government (as Industries, IP and Commerce Minister), while his other 2 sons Selvakumaar (Ren.

[10] 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.

[12] With 22 km of dredging remaining, the project is held from March 2010 by a Supreme Court order seeking the Central Government to clarify the status of the bridge as a national monument.

[15][16] There was a brief controversy when Azhagiri did not accompany the contingency led by Baalu, the head of MPs from the DMK party, to tender resignation in the Prime minister's office and to hand over the letter of withdrawal to the President on 20 March 2013.