The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday launched searches at Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji’s official chamber in the State Secretariat and bungalow in Chennai and other places linked to him in Karur and Coimbatore in connection with an alleged money laundering case. This is the first time the Central agency has entered Fort St. George, the seat of power, targetting a Minister.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin dubbed it an “intimidation tactic” by the Narendra Modi Government.
The Minister was confined to his official residence during the search operation conducted with heavy protection by armed paramilitary personnel. Exit and entry to his house were restricted.
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While the Central agency did not release any statement till the time of filing this report, it is understood that the searches were being conducted in connection with money laundering related to a job racket that allegedly took place when Mr. Senthilbalaji served as Transport Minister during 2011-15 in Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet. It is alleged that bribe was sought for jobs in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation. Last month, the Supreme Court cleared the decks for probe, saying, “The investigation officer is to proceed with further investigation in all cases.”
The top court also gave the green signal to the ED for probing related money laundering charges against the Minister. The Madras High Court had earlier quashed the ED summons to the Minister and other accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act case.
Sources told The Hindu that three officials from the ED and two bank managers entered the Minister’s official chamber on Tuesday to conduct searches. The officers locked the chamber from inside and questioned the Minister’s personal assistants and searched for documents related to the case. Another team searched his official bungalow on Greenways Road. Mr Senthilbalaji had cut short his morning walk and returned to his residence on learning about the operation. He told journalists he would cooperate with the officials.
Congress president Mr. Kharge said, “These are brazen attempts of the Modi Government at harassment and intimidation. Such gross misuse of investigative agencies against political opponents has been the hallmark of the Modi Government.”
These tactics will not succeed in silencing the Opposition, he said.
Mr. Stalin said the “raid at the Secretariat” was a direct assault on the federal principle. “The backdoor tactics of BJP against its political opponents will not yield them desired results. BJP will learn it the hard way soon. The silence of people who are watching BJP’s cheap acts of vindictive politics should not be underestimated. It is nothing but the calm before the storm of 2024 that will sweep BJP away,” he tweeted.
A fortnight ago, Income Tax officials had conducted a week-long searches at the premises of the Minister’s brother, V. Ashok Kumar, and acquaintances.
In the Minister’s native Karur district, the ED conducted searches at the house of Mr. Senthilabalaji at Rameswarapatti and five other places. The houses of Mr. Ashok at Ramakrishnapuram, Mani alias Subramani, managing partner of Kongu Mess, at Rayanur, Karthick at Velayuthampalayam, Shanmugam, a computer operator, at Vengamedu and the office of Satishkumar, an auditor, at Sengunthapuram were searched.
Mr. Karthick was a personal assistant of Mr. Senthilbalaji when he was the Transport Minister. Mr. Shanmugam was a data entry operator in the Minister’s Office.
The residences of both Mr. Karthick and Mr. Shanmugam were not searched by the Income Tax officials when they carried out an eight-day-long operation on the premises of Mr. Senthilbalaji acquaintances recently.
The ED officials, who assembled in Karur early on Tuesday morning, arrived at the search locations with Central Reserve Police Force personnel providing security. Unlike the Income Tax officials, who faced hostile reaction from DMK cadre, the ED officials did not face resistance.
The search came to an end in the residences of Mr. Karthick and Mr. Shanmugam around 6 p.m. The searches at the other places were continuing till late in the evening.
