2007: DMK cadres attack BJP HQ in Tamil Nadu over Ram Setu remarks

Updated: July 20, 2026 03:51 pm IST By: N. Sai Charan

Background: The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project

In 2007, Parliament and political circles in New Delhi and Chennai were engaged in heated discussions over the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project. The initiative aimed to create a shipping route through the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay, an area marked by a chain of shoals between India and Sri Lanka.

These shoals are commonly referred to as Adam’s Bridge or Ram Setu. Although the idea of creating a shipping route around the Indian peninsula in this narrow strait had been proposed more than a century earlier, the project was strongly promoted by T.R. Baalu, who served as Union Shipping Minister from 2004 to 2009 during the first term of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

The groundwork for the project was laid during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, when the DMK was part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The project was formally inaugurated in July 2005 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. At that time, AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa termed it "economically and ecologically" unviable, according to a report in The Hindu. The Supreme Court stalled work on the project in 2007 amid concerns that it could damage Ram Setu.

Political Tensions Over Ram Setu

The DMK and the BJP were engaged in heated arguments over the existence of Ram Setu, both inside and outside Parliament. In 2007, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi stated that Ram Setu existed only in the imagination of some people and was not a man-made structure. Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani strongly objected to Karunanidhi's remarks on the "existence of Lord Rama" and demanded that he withdraw his statement.

Ram Vilas Vedanti's Controversial Remarks

Against this backdrop, in September 2007, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader and former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti (who died in December 2025) triggered a major controversy. According to an archival report in The Hindu, Vedanti said that "whosoever chopped off the head and tongue of the DMK president [M. Karunanidhi] would be gifted in gold."

Widespread Protests by DMK Cadres

Vedanti's remarks sparked widespread protests by DMK cadres across Tamil Nadu. Demonstrations were held in Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchi, and Kanniyakumari, among other locations. Protesters resorted to various forms of agitation, including burning effigies of Vedanti.

Attack on BJP Headquarters in Chennai

On September 23, 2007, a protest was held on South Boag Road in T. Nagar, near Vaidyaraman Street, where Kamalalayam — the BJP's State headquarters — is located. The demonstration was led by then State Information Minister Parithi Ilamvazhuthi. Several DMK leaders from the city were present, including:

• Chennai Mayor Ma. Subramanian (now Health Minister)
• District secretaries Balaraman and J. Anbazhagan

As DMK workers raised slogans against Vedanti and Mr. Advani, a section of the protesters entered Vaidyaraman Street around 10:15 a.m. and hurled stones at the BJP office, damaging window panes. A flagpost at the entrance of the party office was also uprooted.

According to The Hindu, quoting G. Kumaravelu, then vice-president of the BJP's State unit, nearly 15 BJP members — including women — sustained minor injuries.