The Rapid Action Force (RAF) has been deployed at the Omandurar multi-speciality government hospital in Chennai after Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji was admitted to the hospital in the wee hours of Wednesday. The minister was taken to the hospital after the Enforcement Directorate arrested him in connection with a money laundering case.
He is likely to be produced before a special court later where the agency will seek his custody, reported PTI.
The arrest has triggered a political maelstrom as Chief Minister Stalin slammed the raids as "intimidation politics". Stalin also visited the minister at the hospital. The DMK has also promised to legally approach the case.
The Congress too condemned Balaji's arrest, stating the late-night arrest by ED was a "political vendetta'. A statement by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge read: "This is nothing but political harassment and vendetta by the Modi government against those opposed to it. None of us in the opposition will be intimidated by such brazen moves".
The JD(U) has also flayed the arrest, calling it a "desperate reaction of the Narendra Modi government" ahead of the meeting of opposition parties called by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who heads the DMK, is among those who have agreed to attend the June 23 meeting to be held here.
JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan', a close aide of Kumar, tweeted: "ED has raided the house of Thiru V Senthil Balaji in Tamil Nadu which is a panic and desperate reaction of @NarendraModi government keeping in mind the meeting of all opposition parties convened by Sri Nitish Kumar Ji in Patna on 23rd June," the JD(U) chief tweeted.
"BJP government is misusing the constitutional institutions against opposition parties to defame" governments run by these in states, he alleged. He also expressed apprehensions of "more such action" against leaders opposed to the BJP in the run-up to the conclave.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has also responded to the issue, stating that there are no raids against BJP people. "We keep sending complaints against their (BJP) people, with evidence. When will the probe against them start?... I sent complaints against 3 ministers of Maharashtra to ED, on money laundering, I have not even received a reply...why there are no raids against them?" party MP Sanjay Raut told ANI.
While NCP MP Supriya Sule said she "was not surprised at all", TMC MP Saugata Roy has said how it was "totally wrong how Enforcement Directorate is being misused."