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TN minister faces heat over hooch deaths, top court nod for ED probe
The minister asserted that steps are being taken to ensure that illicit liquor-related deaths do not occur in future and that he would fully cooperate with the investigation against him
Chennai: V Senthil Balaji, Tamil Nadu minister for electricity, prohibition and excise, is in the eye of a storm with the death toll in twin hooch tragedies rising to 22 and BJP’s state president K Annamalai calling for his removal, a day after the Supreme Court allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to continue proceedings against him in the alleged cash-for-job scam.
Balaji faced a volley of questions from reporters after he emerged from an electricity review meeting on Wednesday in Chennai. The minister asserted that steps are being taken to ensure that illicit liquor-related deaths do not occur in future and that he would fully cooperate with the investigation against him. “It is an unfortunate incident. We will arrest more people related to the deaths,” Balaji said.
The minister, however, pointed fingers at the opposition for similar hooch deaths and scams. He said that when AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) was chief minister, there were 20 hooch deaths in 2020 and that his cabinet minister for health C Vijayabhaskar has been named by the CBI in the gutka scam.
The case against Balaji pertains to allegations when he was the transport minister during the AIADMK-led government from 2011 to 2015 before switching to the DMK. Balaji is accused of taking bribes from people seeking jobs in the state transport department. The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside an order by the Madras high court, directing a fresh probe into an alleged cash-for-job scam.
“My name was not there when the complaint was filed and an FIR was registered. My name was added during investigations due to political reasons,” Balaji said. “Those who went to the Supreme Court are not the same people who had filed the complaint and those who were affected by the case. You have to understand that first. Some third parties approached the Supreme Court after the Madras high court order. How many people know this? But, I will cooperate with the investigation.”
Responding to Annamalai’s call for his sacking, Balaji questioned why BJP’s ally AIADMK’s EPS did not resign after he was named in the Kodanad-heist-cum-murder case and the Thoothukudi firing in which police killed 13 civilians. “I don’t think they have the right to say anything. He (Annamalai) is just making these statements for political reasons,” Balaji said.
In another meeting chaired by chief minister M K Stalin, the police and home department made a few decisions following the hooch death of 16 people in Villupuram district and six in Chengalpattu. Fifty others are still undergoing treatment in hospitals after they drank spurious liquor on Saturday night, and the government found that methanol was used in both instances.
The chief minister has directed officials to submit a report to him every Monday on how they are implementing work to eradicate spurious liquor. “A district coordination meeting should also be conducted every Monday to prevent spurious liquor and drugs under the leadership of district administration, police department, revenue officials and the district manager of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC),” read a statement from the government. Police commissioners and assistant commissioners (excise) should monitor the use of methanol in liquor.” The chief minister also directed for officers to be appointed in district-level prohibition enforcement units in border, coastal and hilly areas and public awareness programmes to be conducted by educational institutions and voluntary groups.
Electricity consumption rises in TN
Balaji, who conducted a review meeting, said Tamil Nadu’s electricity needs have increased in the last two years. In 2020-2021, the peak was 16,481 mega watt and in 2023-2024, especially for 45 days through April and May, the peak reached 19,387 mega watt. The temperature has crossed 40 degree Celcius in several parts of Tamil Nadu.
In Chennai, the maximum daily consumption has been recorded as 423 million units. In 2019-2020, it was 361 million units. “Despite such an increase, across Tamil Nadu we have been providing proper electricity,” Balaji said. “This is because we planned between December and January to face this summer. Chennai’s requirements are more than that of entire Tamil Nadu so discussed how we can deal with it in today’s meeting. In a few places in Chennai there were power outages in the last two days.”
