The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches against Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji and some others as part of a money laundering investigation and held multi-city searches, prompting Chief Minister M K Stalin to slam the BJP for "backdoor intimidation" of political rivals, as he charged the ED with "political intention" behind its action.
Official sources said searches were conducted here and in Balaji's native Karur, besides in Erode.
The Minister's office room at the state Secretariat here was among the locations raided by the ED officials. This was the second time in five years that officials belonging to a Central probe agency held searches inside the Secretariat. Income Tax authorities had conducted searches at the seat of power in December 2016 as part of its action against then Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao, days after the death of then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
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Balaji, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam strongman from Karur district, said he was not aware of what the officials had come searching for at his premises and assured to extend total cooperation in the probe.
Stalin criticised the agency action against his colleague.
"The BJP's politics of backdoor intimidation of those it is unable to face politically will not succeed. The time that they themselves will realise it is nearing," the Chief Minister, also president of the ruling DMK, said in a statement.
He particularly took strong objection to the ED officials conducting searches at the office room of Balaji at the Secretariat, saying it was a "blot on federalism."
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With Balaji promising full cooperation to the investigating agency, "it is not known what was the need for holding searches at the Minister's room in the Secretariat," Stalin added.
He said the BJP "avenges" political forces opposed to it using investigating agencies.
The raids were being carried out at Balaji's premises in state capital Chennai and his native Karur. Besides these, ED officials also searched the house of a Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) lorry contractor in Erode district. State-run TASMAC is the retailer of liquor in Tamil Nadu.
Balaji also holds the Prohibition and Excise portfolio.
The Supreme Court had earlier allowed police and ED probe into an alleged cash-for-jobs scam against Balaji, who was earlier with the AIADMK. He was Transport Minister in the late Jayalalithaa-led Cabinet.
The ED conducted the searches under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said.
Last month, the Income Tax department too had searched people close to Balaji in the state.
Responding to the ED searches today, Balaji said he was "ready to extend full cooperation" to the investigating agency.
"With what intention have they come, what are they looking for, we will see. Let it get over," he told reporters soon after the sleuths started the searches.
Whether it be the IT or ED, Balaji assured full cooperation to the authorities concerned, adding whatever explanation sought by officials based on documents, will be provided.
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The Minister, who went for a morning walk, said he took a taxi back home after receiving a message about the raids on his premises.
The ED officials were accompanied by central paramilitary personnel during the raids. Last month, Income Tax officials were allegedly attacked in Karur when they went to conduct searches at some places linked to Balaji.
Stalin wondered if the searches held at the Secretariat were an attempt to "intimidate that we (ED) will enter the Secretariat."
"This shows the investigating agnecy (ED) acting with a political intention," he charged.
"What is the meaning of such actions that have happened within two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah having visited Tamil Nadu. He strongly criticised the DMK and the government and we gave a fitting reply. But such ED attacks on the Secretariat itself is a blot on federalism," the Chief Minister charged.
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He recalled he had slammed the Income Tax searches at the Secretariat in 2016, when the AIADMK was in power.
"Therefore, it is not important to whom it happens but what matters is where it happens. The BJP is repeatedly creating wrong precedents. People are watching the intimidation politics of the BJP," he said.
As the raids continued, DMK lawyers led by its organisation secretary and former MP RS Bharathi, an advocate himself, landed at Balaji's house. The senior leader alleged the team was refused permission to meet Balaji as they wanted to seek his instructions for getting legal remedy.
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"The raids are in violation of human rights. Senthil Balaji may be a Minister, but he is a human being first. We have a right to know about his status," Bharathi told reporters.
"This is a planned attempt to malign the DMK," he said and indicated that searches at the Secretariat happened without the approval of the state Chief Secretary.
The party was not bothered about such raids, as it has come across many such action against its leaders in the past, but without any result against them.
He said the ED had held searches many times at Karnataka Congress leader and now Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, but he still emerged victorious with a massive margin in the just concluded polls. This showed such agency action will not impact a man's popularity, Bharathi claimed.
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He also said the ED action came days after Amit Shah's TN visit and claimed it was an attempt to 'divert' attention from the ongoing spat between allies AIADMK and the BJP.
He further took a swipe at the alleged low conviction rates in ED cases and warned that BJP "will be paid in same coin" if another government comes, possibly after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
