NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji broke down in tears after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money laundering case in the wee hours of Wednesday.
The development comes four days after street lights mysteriously went off outside the Chennai airport and several other parts of the city during Union home minister Amit Shah’s visit on Sunday, triggering allegations of intentional power outage. BJP workers called it a security lapse and demanded an investigation. However, DMK had dismissed the allegations.
Balaji, who holds the portfolios for electricity, excise, and prohibition, was apprehended under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following an extensive 18-hour interrogation and multiple searches conducted across various locations in Chennai and other parts of the state on Tuesday.
The arrest is linked to a job-for-cash scam that reportedly took place during Balaji’s tenure as transport minister in the AIADMK regime from 2011 to 2016. The case, which gained attention between 2014 and 2015, involved a recruitment scam in the state’s transport department.
In March 2021, on the eve of the Assembly elections, the Chennai Police filed a chargesheet against Balaji and 46 others, including retired and serving officers from various transport corporations.
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Following his arrest, Balaji complained of chest discomfort and was immediately taken to the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai for a medical checkup.
At the time of his admission, hospital authorities said that he had high blood pressure and severe chest pain, with variations in his electrocardiogram (ECG). Although he appears to be stable, medical professionals have advised keeping him under observation for one or two days until his cardiac function returns to normalcy.
The scene outside the hospital was marked by high drama as the DMK leader arrived. Balaji was visibly in distress, crying in pain while lying in a car, while his supporters gathered to protest against the ED’s actions.
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State minister and chief minister MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi visited the arrested minister at the hospital. Speaking to reporters afterward, he expressed the DMK’s intention to take legal action against any violations involved in Balaji’s arrest.
Minister Balaji’s lawyer and DMK leader NR Elango denounced the arrest as “illegal and unconstitutional”, vowing to fight the arrest through legal means.
As of now, the Enforcement Directorate has not released an official statement regarding the arrest or the searches conducted.
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has condemned the DMK leader’s arrest as a political vendetta. “This is nothing but political harassment and vendetta by the Modi government against those opposed to it,” he said in a statement.
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