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ED arrests TN minister V Senthil Balaji, hospital advises heart surgery. Who is he?
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and 15 ministers rushed to meet Balaji, who was taken to a Chennai hospital after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate.
Hours after Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, 47, was hospitalised following his arrest Wednesday on money laundering charges, chief minister MK Stalin and at least 15 ministers rushed to see him, underscoring his continuing clout five years after he re-joined the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam; he had quit to join arch-rivals All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
READ | ED arrests TN minister Senthil Balaji in money laundering case
A DMK leader - who does not wish to be named - said Balaji's importance stems from his influence in western Tamil Nadu; his home district of Karur is in here and is seen as an AIADMK strong-hold. Balaji is also a 'hardworking minister and party worker', the DMK leader said. The party leader believes Balaji is being targeted because the DMK secured '100 per cent results' in the Coimbatore and Karur regions in the 2021 election, when Balaji was in charge of the party's campaign. The leader said Balaji had been brought back into the DMK to strengthen the party in the west and that the AIADMK and its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, were now trying to weaken him to win back the region.
What is the case against V Senthil Balaji?
The allegations against Balaji date back to the period between 2011 and 2015 when he was the transport minister; this was when the AIADMK was in power.
Crores were allegedly taken from candidates in return for jobs that were promised but never delviered. Many also reportedly paid bribes.
READ | ED arrests Senthil Balaji in job-for-cash 'scam'. What is the case?
Who is V Senthil Balaji?
V Senthil Balaji is also a loyalist of AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha.
He famously refused to shave his beard when she was convicted of corruption and forced to resign in 2014. Balaji lit over one lakh terracotta lamps at a temple ahead of the verdict on Jayalalitha's appeal against the 2015 conviction. He tonsured and carried a fire-pot on his head when she was acquitted.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, Jayalalithaa sacked him as minister and her party's Karur district secretary a few months later.
READ | Stalin's 2024 warning to BJP as TN CM meets Senthil Balaji in hospital
Balaji - who quit AIADMK after Jayalalithaa's death in December 2016 - was among the 18 AIADMK lawmakers disqualified for rebelling against then-chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami.
He joined the TTV Dhinakaran-led AIADMK breakaway faction as the organising secretary before he returned to DMK in 2018, almost two decades after starting his political career with the party. He was given key portfolios - electricity and excise - when the DMK returned to power in 2021 and was also given the post of district secretary for Karur.
Why is Balaji in hospital?
Balaji was hospitalised after over 19 hours of questioning and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a state government-run hospital in Chennai; doctors said he needed 'immediate bypass surgery'.
READ | Bypass surgery advised for Tamil Nadu minister arrested by ED
Why did ED arrest Balaji?
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Balaji hours after Stalin slammed the BJP for using 'backdoor tactics' - a reference to opposition leaders' claims the BJP uses investigative agencies that report to the central government, like the ED and Central Bureau of Investigation, to harass its rivals.
The ED launched raids at premises linked to Balaji in Chennai, Karur, and Erode on Tuesday in connection with its investigations against him
Balaji's home in Chennai and his office at the state secretariat were among the premises raided. His ministerial colleague PK Sekar Babu has accused the ED of torture.
'Payback' for airport lights error?
DMK leader RS Bharathi wondered whether the ED was targeting Balaji since there was a power cut for 15 minutes when union home minister Amit Shah was at the Chennai airport on June 10. He linked the raids to Shah’s visit to the state and added they have an ulterior motive.
Bharathi called the raids also a diversionary tactic since the BJP’s ally AIADMK was threatening to break the alliance.
