Jaya charges Baalu with misusing position to benfit family

Chennai, Apr 6 (UNI) AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa today charged Union Shipping and Highways Minister and senior DMK leader T R Baalu with misusing his official position to further his family's business interests.

In a statement here, she alleged Mr Baalu, along with Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, had conducted an official meeting 'to speed up supply of gas available in the Cauvery basin to 'King Chemicals' and 'King Hi Power'- companies allegedly owned by his family.

As a follow-up action, a top official of the public sector Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) was summoned to emphasise that gas should be supplied to the said companies, she charged.

The AIADMK supremo also attached a photocopy of a letter purportedly written by GAIL Chairman and Managing Director U D Choubey on March two, 2007, to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) CMD R S Sharma regarding allocation of gas to M/s King Chemicals and M/s King Hi-Power in the Cauvery basin in Tamil Nadu.

Ms Jayalalithaa said Mr Baalu, who had been in the Union Cabinet for the past 10 years, had misused his official position to further his family's business interests 'without bothering to bring projects to Tamil Nadu.' UNI AKN PK KP1736