Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday morning, has undergone coronary angiogram, a medical bulletin stated. Balaji was hospitalised after the arrest as he complained of chest pain, and was moved to the Intensive Care Unit. Balaji has been advised bypass surgery “at the earliest”.
"Coronory angiogram revealed triple vessel disease for which CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) - bypass surgery is advised at the earliest," a medical bulletin issued by the Director of the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Estate, said.
The ED arrested Electricity Minister Balaji in connection with a money laundering case. The Rapid Action Force (RAF) was also deployed at the government hospital in Chennai after Balaji was admitted. Meanwhile, Balaji's wife moved the Madras High Court, alleging that the arrest was made without any notice or summons.
Balaji's arrest has become the latest rallying point for opposition parties who have hit out at the BJP-led Centre's alleged misuse of probe agencies. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin who visited Balaji at the hospital earlier in the day, condemned the arrest and accused the BJP of resorting to 'politics of intimidation'. The BJP's politics of backdoor intimidation of those it is unable to face politically will not succeed. He also slammed ED officials conducting searches at the office room of Balaji at the State Secretariat, saying it was a "blot on federalism”.
The ED had launched searches at locations linked to Balaji at Chennai, Karur and Erode, on Tuesday, months after the Supreme Court allowed police and ED probe into an alleged cash for jobs scam against the DMK strongman. Balaji was earlier with the AIADMK and had been Transport Minister in the late Jayalalithaa-led Cabinet.