Mallikarjun Kharge Criticises The Centre After ED Detains Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji
Update: 2023-06-14 10:46 IST
Mallikarjun Kharge
The Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, criticised the Narendra Modi-led government's "vendetta politics" after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) detained Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji on suspicion of money laundering on Wednesday. The leader of the Congress said that it was "political harassment" against the opposition and that they would not be crushed by such coercive measures.
A statement was released by Kharge mentioning that "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," reported Hindustan Times.
His comments came amid intense drama as the ED interrogated Balaji for hours and resulted in his hospitalisation after he reported feeling uneasy. The minister was brought for a medical examination in the early hours of Wednesday and then admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a government hospital. As his followers gathered to protest against the ED move, the DMK leader could be seen sobbing in agony inside the automobile.
MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, also denounced the BJP's "backdoor tactics" used against political rivals. Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of Bengal, added that the misuse of federal institutions persists and decried the behaviour as "unacceptable and desperate." Meanwhile, the ED had raided the locations connected to Balaji on Tuesday.