T.N. Minister V. Senthilbalaji arrest | No political motives, Stalin should check his own previous statements on Minister’s corruption: Annamalai

Refuting charges that Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Electricity V. Senthilbalaji’s arrest was politically motivated, Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai on Wednesday said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin must refer to his own old statement where he had himself made the same allegations against the Minister for which he has been arrested now.

Refuting charges that Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Electricity V. Senthilbalaji’s arrest was politically motivated, Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai on Wednesday said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin must refer to his own old statements where he had made the same allegations against the Minister for which he has been arrested now.

Mr. Annamalai was referring to the corruptions allegations made by Mr. Stalin in 2016 against Mr. Senthilbalaji who was the Transport Minister in the AIADMK government from 2011 to 2015.

Addressing the media, Mr. Annamalai said the arrest had come after the Supreme Court’s orders, reprimanding the alleged attempts to dilute the case against Mr. Senthilbalaji and allowing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to continue its probe.

Mr. Senthilbalaji was arrested early on the morning of Wednesday, June 14, 2023 after an 18-hour interrogation at his residence. He was later taken to the Government Multi Super-Specialty Hospital, Omandurar, where he subsequently underwent a coronary angiogram and was advised surgery.

Mr. Annamalai alleged that Mr. Stalin had defended the powers of the Income Tax Department when it conducted searches at the Secretariat when the AIADMK was in power in 2016. That being the case, he asked how could Mr. Stalin oppose the ED conducting a search at the Minister’s chamber at the Secretariat now.

The BJP leader also criticised Mr. Stalin and other Ministers for visiting Mr. Senthilbalaji at the hospital. He said the reaction from the DMK was not as strong even when DMK MP Kanimozhi was arrested on corruption charges in 2011. “Today, [virtually] the entire Cabinet is visiting him at the hospital,” he said. He urged Mr. Stalin to relieve Mr. Senthilbalaji from the Cabinet.

On criticisms that the ED did not follow due process during the arrest, he said the ED was a professional organisation and he was confident that they would present all necessary documents to prove otherwise in the Madras High Court on Wednesday.