Who is Senthil Balaji, the Tamil Nadu minister, who broke down after ED arrest?

A political drama unfolded in Tamil Nadu. There was an arrest, a hospitalisation, some tears and the usual mudslinging. At the centre of these hectic developments is Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader V Senthil Balaji. Balaji was arrested in the wee hours on Wednesday in an alleged money-laundering case related to a job-for-cash scam after his residence was raided by the Enforcement Directorate. He was then grilled for 18 hours and taken to several places in Chennai and Karur, including his house in the state capital, his official chamber at the state secretariat, and his brother’s residence. Tears and ambulance drama The spectacle started when the probe agency took Balaji, the state’s electricity minister, for a medical check-up at a government hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest discomfort. He was ferried to Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai around 2.30 am Thursday. He was pictured breaking down with his hand on his head on the seat of the ambulance as his supporters should slogans against the ED. He was lifted and carried out of the vehicle as he continued to bawl. Senior leaders from Balaji’s party, the DMK, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, Health Minister M Subramanian and Public Welfare Department (PWD) Minister E V Velu, Law Minister S Regupathy were among those who rushed to the hospital. However, they were not allowed to meet the arrested minister. [caption id=“attachment_12736762” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Balaji was seen crying when he was rushed to a hospital in Chennai. ANI[/caption] According to DMK MP and lawyer NR Elango, Balaji was shifted to the ICU of the hospital. He underwent a coronary angiogram and has been advised bypass surgery at the “earliest”, the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai said. “Coronary angiogram revealed triple vessel disease for which CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) - bypass surgery,” the hospital bulletin informed. “There is no clarity if the ED has arrested him. No arrest guidelines have been followed,” Elango said, according to an NDTV report.

The case against Balaji Balaji was arrested after raids at his house on Tuesday, after which the police took him away for questioning. The case is connected to a job-for-cash scam in the Tamil Nadu state transport department, which took place when Balaji was the transport minister during the AIADMK rule from 2011 to 2016. The recruitment scam first came to the fore in 2014-2015, creating upheaval in the state. In September last year, the Madras High Court dismissed the ED summons sent to Balaji and other accused in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. However, the Supreme Court cleared the way for an investigation last month. Stalin’s close aide, mass leader Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin met Balaji in the hospital on Thursday. He accused the ED of “enacting drama” in the name of a probe and said that they were “physically and mentally troubling” the minister. “They had pressured him to the point of him suffering chest pain,” Stalin alleged in a statement. [caption id=“attachment_12736792” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin arrives at a government hospital to meet Balaji, who was admitted there following his arrest by the ED. PTI[/caption] Balaji is a popular face in Tamil Nadu politics and enjoys massive support. This was evident when the IT department had to abort searches last month after conducting raids on properties belonging to the minister and his associates in Chennai and Coimbatore. Vehicles of some IT officials were vandalised and hundreds of DMK workers confronted them in Balaji’s constituency in Karur. He has an ardent following in his constituency where is known to organise blood donation camps and job fairs and set up e-Seva centres that can help the masses access government services free of cost, according to The Indian Express. The 47-year-old minister comes from the politically influential OBC Goundar community, a poor farming community, and is revered in western Tamil Nadu. He holds the electricity and execise portfolios in Stalin’s Cabinet. Balaji is a four-time MLA, who made his poll debut on an AIADMK ticket in 2006. Between 2011 and 2015, he was part of the Jayalalithaa government during which he allegedly got involved in the scam. He later switched sides and joined the rival DMK. The now embattled minister was once a staunch loyalist of the former Tamil Nadu CM. He reportedly shaved his head in 2017 after Jayalalithaa was acquitted in the disproportionate assets case. He played a key role in the 2013 Amma water initiative, which promised affordable and clean drinking water to the public. But years later, Balaji had a fallout with the AIADMK boss and lost his Cabinet post. He was also removed as the party’s Karur district secretary in 2015, according to a report in The Indian Express. After Jayalalithaa’s death, he backed VK Sasikala during a rift in the party. In 2018, Balaji joined the DMK and soon won the confidence of Stalin. The support for Balaji Attacking the BJP for the arrest, Stalin said that the minister will face the case legally, and so will the party. In a statement, the CM questioned the need for such a long probe even after Balaji assured full cooperation and asked “if such an inhumane action” by ED officials is warranted. Congress and AAP attacked the Centre and accused it of “vendetta politics” and allegedly misusing probe agencies against the Opposition. “This is nothing but political harassment and vendetta by the Modi government against those opposed to it. None of us in the Opposition will be intimidated by such brazen moves,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said. Calling the arrest “inhumane”, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadda release a statement that said the party raised “serious concerns about the working methods of the ED". “We stand in solidarity with Balaji and all those opposition leaders who have been victims of BJP’s undemocratic targeting.” National Congress Party (NCP) MLA Supriya Sule said she was “not surprised at all” about the arrest. “…you see that 95% CBI, ED cases are against the Opposition…so I am not surprised at all,” she told news agency ANI. Demand for resignation However, the AIADMK slammed its former party member. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami dubbed the “crying in the car” as “drama”. “When our leader and former minister Jayakumar was arrested, he was imprisoned for 20 days. He was not even permitted to take medicines. Senthil Balaji is doing drama now. As a moral responsibility, should resign from his minister post,” Palaniswami said. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.