Express News Service
CHENNAI: The AIADMK and the BJP on Wednesday defended the searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the office of Electricity Minister V. Senthil Balaji in the state secretariat and the minister’s residences. While Leader of the Opposition, Edappadi K. Palaniswamy said the arrest of Balaji was a culmination of investigations of the ED which continued for the past few years, BJP state president K. Annamalai said the DMK is wrong in calling the arrest of Balaji a political vendetta.
Talking to reporters at Vanagaram, Palaniswamy said the ED had filed a case against Balaji around four years ago regarding the cash-for-job scam and an investigation was going on. The ED had sent many summonses to Balaji, already seeking an explanation.
“Recently, the Supreme Court gave a directive to the ED to investigate this case within 60 days and take action. The court said if it is not done, it would form a special monitoring committee to pursue the investigation in the case against Balaji. Based on this verdict, the ED sleuths searched the residence and office premises of Balaji and arrested him. Balaji’s arrest has not happened suddenly. It results from a continuous investigation by the ED,” Palaniswamy explained.
ALSO READ | Congress party condemns the arrest of Senthil Balaji
Palaniswamy also said, as of now, there are around 6,000 TASMAC shops in the state and no tender has been called for running bars in these shops. “For the past two years, illegal bars have been running. There are reports that a huge revenue running to thousands of crores of rupees through these bars that should have gone to the state exchequer has been going to some of those who are at the helm of affairs. We have lodged complaints with the governor twice,” he added.
The leader of the opposition said Chief Minister MK Stalin bemoaned to a great extent about the arrest of Senthil Balaji. When the Income Tax Department raided the office of the chief secretary in 2016, Stalin, as the Leader of the Opposition, said that only because there was evidence, the IT department raided. Similarly, the ED now has conducted searches in the office of Senthil Balaji in the secretariat and his residence and others. This shows the double standards of Stalin.
ALSO READ | Senthil Balaji seems to have undergone mental and physical torture: Stalin
Meanwhile, BJP state president K. Annamalai said the ED searches into the premises linked with Senthil Balaji were legal and these cannot be termed as political vendetta.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Annamalai denied DMK’s charge that the ED searches and arrest of Balaji were vindictive. Annamalai pointed out that Stalin, as leader of the Opposition, charged that Balaji was a corrupt person and demanded an investigation. The ED conducted the search as per the verdict of the Supreme Court and the opposition parties are trying to politicize the issue.
CHENNAI: The AIADMK and the BJP on Wednesday defended the searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the office of Electricity Minister V. Senthil Balaji in the state secretariat and the minister’s residences. While Leader of the Opposition, Edappadi K. Palaniswamy said the arrest of Balaji was a culmination of investigations of the ED which continued for the past few years, BJP state president K. Annamalai said the DMK is wrong in calling the arrest of Balaji a political vendetta.
Talking to reporters at Vanagaram, Palaniswamy said the ED had filed a case against Balaji around four years ago regarding the cash-for-job scam and an investigation was going on. The ED had sent many summonses to Balaji, already seeking an explanation.
“Recently, the Supreme Court gave a directive to the ED to investigate this case within 60 days and take action. The court said if it is not done, it would form a special monitoring committee to pursue the investigation in the case against Balaji. Based on this verdict, the ED sleuths searched the residence and office premises of Balaji and arrested him. Balaji’s arrest has not happened suddenly. It results from a continuous investigation by the ED,” Palaniswamy explained. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
ALSO READ | Congress party condemns the arrest of Senthil Balaji
Palaniswamy also said, as of now, there are around 6,000 TASMAC shops in the state and no tender has been called for running bars in these shops. “For the past two years, illegal bars have been running. There are reports that a huge revenue running to thousands of crores of rupees through these bars that should have gone to the state exchequer has been going to some of those who are at the helm of affairs. We have lodged complaints with the governor twice,” he added.
The leader of the opposition said Chief Minister MK Stalin bemoaned to a great extent about the arrest of Senthil Balaji. When the Income Tax Department raided the office of the chief secretary in 2016, Stalin, as the Leader of the Opposition, said that only because there was evidence, the IT department raided. Similarly, the ED now has conducted searches in the office of Senthil Balaji in the secretariat and his residence and others. This shows the double standards of Stalin.
ALSO READ | Senthil Balaji seems to have undergone mental and physical torture: Stalin
Meanwhile, BJP state president K. Annamalai said the ED searches into the premises linked with Senthil Balaji were legal and these cannot be termed as political vendetta.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Annamalai denied DMK’s charge that the ED searches and arrest of Balaji were vindictive. Annamalai pointed out that Stalin, as leader of the Opposition, charged that Balaji was a corrupt person and demanded an investigation. The ED conducted the search as per the verdict of the Supreme Court and the opposition parties are trying to politicize the issue.
