The arrest of Tamil Nadu minister V. Senthil Balaji by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Tuesday, in the alleged money laundering case has triggered a high-voltage political drama. Many parties including the Congress condemned the “vendetta politics” of the BJP following ED’s hours-long grilling of Balaji, which culminated in his hospitalisation after he complained of uneasiness during interrogation.
The hospital, in a medical bulletin Wednesday, informed that the minister underwent a coronary angiogram and was advised to undergo bypass surgery at the earliest.
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Who is Senthil Balaji?
1)The minister in the Stalin cabinet heads the electricity, prohibition and excise department in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) -led Tamil Nadu government.
2) He is under investigation for corruption allegations dating back to his time as the transport minister in the previous All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government from 2011 to 2015.
3) The former AIADMK minister joined DMK in 2018. He was among the 18 rebel MLAs who were disqualified from AIADMK for supporting expelled leader TTV Dinakaran.
Also Read: ED arrests Senthil Balaji in alleged job-for-cash scam. What is the case? Explained
4) He was born in 1975 in the Karur district of Tamil Nadu. As per his foundation’s website he attended the Rameswarapatti Government School, Vivekananda School, Pasupathypalayam and Municipal Higher Secondary School in Karur.
{{/usCountry}}4) He was born in 1975 in the Karur district of Tamil Nadu. As per his foundation’s website he attended the Rameswarapatti Government School, Vivekananda School, Pasupathypalayam and Municipal Higher Secondary School in Karur.
{{/usCountry}}5) He entered politics at the age of 21 and was elected as the Karur MLA for the first time in 200 for two consecutive terms. In 2016, he moved to Aravakurichi constituency and gained back his Karur seat again in the 2021 assembly election.
6) His foundation’s website lists itself as a non-profit organisation “established to work in the areas of health, education, relief of the poor” primarily based in Karur.