Seen 'Weeping' Post ED Arrest, Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji Has '3 Blockages in Heart'; High Drama in Chennai

Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, who was seen “weeping in pain” inside a car after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), underwent coronary angiogram on Wednesday morning. The Chennai hospital, where he is admitted, advised him CABG-bypass surgery ‘at the earliest as the angiogram revealed triple vessel disease.

High drama ensued in the morning when Balaji broke down while being taken by ED officers for questioning in connection with an alleged money laundering case. He was taken to Omandurar government hospital in Chennai for medical examination amid tight security as the DMK leaders said that he “cried in pain”.

As the drama continued with top leader visiting Balaji, authorities were forced to deploy Rapid Action Force. The investigating agency took the DMK leader for questioning, after raiding his premises on Tuesday.

“I saw him (Senthil Balaji) when he was shifted to ICU. Doctors are evaluating his health condition. It is a procedure when a person says he has been assaulted the doctor needs to note down all the injuries and will know after seeing the report,” DMK MP and lawyer NR Elango said.

Speaking to News18, DMK minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “Senthil Balaji is undergoing treatment. We will deal with it legally. We are not afraid of the threatening politics of the BJP-led central government. We have faced the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).”

Updating on arrested minister’s health later in the day, Udhayanidhi said that Balaji was doing fine. “Balaji was harassed by the ED. I spoke to him,” he added.

DMK leaders alleged that Balaji complained of chest pain while being taken into custody by the ED officials. They also alleged that Senthil Balaji did not seem conscious when he was taken to the hospital by ED.

Raids were carried out at Balaji’s Karur residence and his office at the state secretariat by the ED sleuths on Tuesday, in connection to a transport job scam case when Balaji was minister in the AIADMK government.

The minister was also questioned at his residential office for nearly 18 hours, following which he was picked up by ED officials. Sources said that three more cars, carrying documents, followed that agency’s vehicle in which Balaji was travelling.

In addition to this, the premises of his brother and a close aide in Karur were also raided. V Senthil Balaji, is minister for electricity, prohibition and excise in the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government.

Senthil Balaji’s History

Senthil Balaji was the minister of transport from 2011 to 2015 in the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK regime. In 2014, there was an allegation of irregularities in the appointment of drivers, conductors and engineers in the transport department. It was complained that Balaji cheated by taking bribe but did not provide jobs in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation.

A case was registered under the Cheating, Conspiracy and Prevention of Corruption Act in 2015 on a complaint filed by S Devasahayam, Ganesh and others — all victims of the alleged job scam.

The minister’s name, however, was not mentioned in the first information report. Subsequently, a case was filed in the high court to include Senthil Balaji in the money laundering case. The police’s crime branch then registered a case.

Besides Senthil Balaji, his relatives Prabhu, Sahaya Rajan and Anna Raj have also been booked in the case. Senthil Balaji in 2018 switched sides to the DMK and he is now an MLA from Aravakurichi assembly constituency.

Last month, the Supreme Court cleared the decks for probe, saying, “The investigation officer is to proceed with further investigation in all cases.” The Income Tax department conducted searches at residence and offices of Balaji and his relatives a few weeks ago, and the ED action comes soon after that.

Leaders Who Visited Senthil Balaji in Hospital

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, sports and youth welfare minister Udhyanithi Stalin, health minister M Subramaniyan, public works and highways minister EV Velu, HR and CE minister Sekar Babu and various DMK supporters arrived at the hospital to meet Senthil Balaji.

“What was ED’s motive behind torturing Senthil Balaji? He suffered a chest pain. And all this after he had said that he would fully cooperate with the investigation. Is it necessary for the ED officers to act in a dehumanizing manner? We will take this up legally,” Stalin said.

This is ‘First of its Kind’ Raid

On Tuesday, the ED entered the state secretariat at Fort St George and searched the minister’s office. This is the first time a central agency entered a minister’s room in Secretariat.

In 2016, Income Tax officers entered the Secretariat and searched the chief secretary’s office after the agency started a search in P Rama Mohana Rao’s house as well as his relatives when he was the chief secretary.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and DMK president and Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin, dubbed it an “intimidation tactic” by the Narendra Modi government. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee have also condemned the searches by ED.

While the central agency did not release any statement, it is understood that the searches were being conducted in connection with money laundering related to the job racket.

(with inputs from ANI, Poornima Murali in Chennai)