In a significant development, Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday for alleged money laundering. The arrest came after hours of questioning by the authorities, during which Balaji complained of uneasiness and was subsequently hospitalized. Later, it was revealed that he had undergone a coronary angiogram and was advised to undergo bypass surgery at the earliest.
The arrest of Minister Senthil Balaji followed a series of raids conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday at several premises connected to him in Chennai, Karur, and Erode. Among the locations searched were Balaji’s official residence in Chennai and his office at the state secretariat. It is expected that the central agency will request custody of the minister and produce him before a special court later today.
The arrest came shortly after Chief Minister MK Stalin criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for engaging in what he termed “backdoor tactics” against political opponents. Stalin’s remarks were made in response to the Enforcement Directorate’s raids on Balaji’s premises.
Meanwhile, another Tamil Nadu minister, PK Sekar Babu, alleged that Balaji had been subjected to torture. Babu referred to television visuals and claimed that Balaji had complained of feeling uneasy while being hospitalized. Balaji was admitted to an Intensive Care Unit, and there were reports of swelling near his ear and variations in his electrocardiogram, which were cited as possible signs of torture.
State Law Minister S Reghupathy, who visited the hospital, questioned the need for the continuous hours-long raid on Balaji’s residence. Udhayanidhi Stalin, along with other cabinet ministers, also visited Balaji in the hospital, even as central paramilitary personnel were deployed in the area.
The allegations against Balaji stem from his tenure as the transport minister in the previous All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led government between 2011 and 2015. It is alleged that large sums of money were taken from candidates in exchange for promised job placements that were never fulfilled. Balaji resigned from the AIADMK following the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalitha in 2016 and joined the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party in December 2018.
In May, the Supreme Court overruled a Madras High Court order and permitted the Enforcement Directorate to proceed with its money laundering investigations into the alleged scam. Balaji’s arrest comes two weeks after the Income Tax Department conducted raids on over 40 locations in Tamil Nadu connected to the minister.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin criticized the raid on Balaji’s secretariat office, viewing it as a direct attack on the federal principle. He warned the BJP that the people’s silence in response to their “cheap acts of vindictive politics” should not be underestimated and predicted a political storm in the upcoming 2024 national elections that would sweep the BJP away.
The arrest of Minister Senthil Balaji on money laundering charges has sent shockwaves through Tamil Nadu’s political landscape. As the legal proceedings unfold, the state eagerly awaits further developments in this high-profile case.
Sources By Agencies
