Who is V Senthil Balaji, the DMK minister also known for his loyalty to late Jayalalithaa

Tribune Web Desk

Vibha Sharma

Chandigarh, June 14

Visuals of a visibly upset V Senthil Balaji--arrested by the ED for questioning in connection with an alleged money laundering case--have been flashing on TV channels since morning.

Soon after his arrest, Balaji complained of chest pain following which he was taken to the Omandurar government hospital in Chennai where high drama was witnessed as he lay “crying in pain” in a vehicle.

He has now been advised “urgent surgery”, according to reports.

A minister in the DMK’s MK Stalin government, Balaji was arrested after several hours of questioning by the ED in connection with the case pertaining to allegations when he was the transport minister in the J Jayalithaa’s AIADMK government (between 2011 and 2015). The action followed after the Supreme Court allowed police and ED probe into the alleged scam against him, according to reports.

Condemning the arrest, Stalin said the ED’s purpose was only to “torture Balaji”.

“The raid conducted by ED at the Secretariat office of minister Senthil Balaji is a direct assault on the federal principle. The backdoor tactics of the BJP against its political opponents will not yield them desired results. The BJP will soon learn it the hard way. The silence of people who are watching the BJP's cheap acts of vindictive politics should not be underestimated. It is nothing but the calm before the storm of 2024 that will sweep the BJP away,” Stalin said.

Several DMK ministers rushed to the hospital, but were reportedly not allowed to meet Balaji.

Balaji was also known as Jayalalithaa "loyalist"

Balaji is someone known as a “big loyalist” of late J Jayalalithaa, the former Tamil Nadu CM and AIADMK supremo. Having switched sides since then, he is now known for an “equally quick rise” in the DMK(AIADMK’s bitter political rival) and his “closeness” to CM MK Stalin. At the same time, he is also said to have a “significant following” in his region—Karur—where he regularly conducts pro-people activities like job fairs and blood donation camps.

When IT officials conducted raids on properties belonging to Balaji and his associates around May, they faced resistance from supporters. Official vehicles were attacked and in some places searches had to be aborted, according to reports.

Balaji hails from an agricultural family and belongs to politically-significant OBC Goundar community.

Starting his political career early, the four-time MLA made his electoral debut on an AIADMK ticket and remained in Jayalalithaa's cabinet between 2011 and 2015. After Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016 he aligned with the VK Sasikala-TTV Dhinakaran faction.

Balaji joined the DMK in 2018 and currently holds the electricity and excise portfolios in Stalin’s cabinet.

Arrest condemned by Opposition

Opposition leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, have condemned his arrest.

Appreciating Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawar, Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Sitaram Yechury for “strongly condemning the undemocratic ED raid unleashed by the BJP government at Tamil Nadu secretariat", Stalin said: “We are unfazed, undeterred and will remain committed in our opposition to the BJP's intimidatory tactics  and undemocratic raids.”

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