INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
CHENNAI/NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate arrested Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji early Wednesday, setting off a dramatic chain
of events that saw the key member of CM Stalin's team complaining of chest pain and being admitted to a government hospital
DMK accused BJP of political intimidation and the latter hit back, with the reminder that Stalin had also once demanded Balaji's arrest on
the very charge of corruption.Balaji was being questioned at his residence by ED since Tuesday morning in connection with a cash-for-job
scam in his department when he was transport minister in the previous AIADMK regime
Soon after arrest, Balaji complains of pain, docs advise bypass surgeryStalin visited arrested minister V Senthil Balaji in hospital on
Wednesday and in a statement that followed, condemned the ED action, saying it was "unnecessary despite the minister having assured his
Stalin said threatening its political rivals using the agencies is BJP's only and well-established tactic
"What transpired in states that are not ruled by BJP has happened in Tamil Nadu as well," he said
Balaji would face the case legally and DMK would stick to its political stand and put up a strong legal battle to defend him, Stalin
said.The chain of events unfolded during ED's questioning of Balaji at his residence
At 2.30am Wednesday, Balaji - who holds the plum portfolios of electricity, excise and prohibition in the DMK government - developed chest
pain after being informed by ED that he had been formally arrested
Soon after, Balaji was taken to the government multi super-speciality hospital in Chennai
Visuals of the minister crying out in pain, holding his chest with one hand and covering his face with the other, inside a car began to
trend on social media.Doctors performed a coronary angiogram on him and the results revealed triple vessel disease
A medical bulletin from the hospital said the minister has been "advised to undergo a coronary artery bypass graft (bypass surgery) at the
earliest".01:04Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji breaks down as ED escorts him for medical examinationSoon, the CM and
several of his colleagues, Ma Subramanian, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Sekar Babu and K N Nehru, and MPs, MLAs and leaders of alliance parties made
a beeline to the hospital.ED, however, approached the principal sessions court to get Balaji's remand
Chennai principal district judge S Alli visited the hospital to inquire about his health
The scene then shifted to the judge's court where Justice Alli sent him to judicial custody till June 28
On Thursday, the judge will pass orders on three petitions - one, from Senthil Balaj seeking interim bail; two, his request for transfer to
Kauvery Hospital to undergo a bypass surgery; and three, ED's plea for 15 days' custody of the minister.The case against Balaji pertains to
2014-15 when the minister was accused of taking bribes in exchange of recruitment of drivers, conductors, junior engineers and assistant
engineers in the transport department.Some who failed to get jobs despite having allegedly paid the bribes approached police and a case was
registered by the central crime branch of Chennai police, leading to an inquiry by ED
The ED said its probe found that entries in the bank statements of Balaji and his wife tallied with allegations levelled by the complainants
The probe was paused after Balaji secured a stay order from Madras HC on the ground that he had worked out a settlement with those who had
ED, however, successfully challenged the "stay" in SC which expressed shock over the restraint imposed by HC and said it had "wiped away not
just the investigation carried so far, but even the order of this court".ED suspects deposits of Rs 1.3 crore in bank accounts of Balaji and
Rs 29.5 lakh in his wife's are related to the alleged bribery
ED sources claimed when confronted, Balaji refused to answer and yelled at investigators.WatchTamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil
Balaji arrested; DMK alleges political vendetta
