After MK Stalin's Vendetta Politics Charge, BJP's "Gentle Reminder"

Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji's health deterioration after his arrest has triggered a political row, with the ruling DMK accusing the BJP of misusing the central agencies to target the leaders of rival parties.

Senthil Balaji is being treated at a Chennai hospital, where he underwent a coronary angiogram in the morning. He has been advised a bypass surgery at the "earliest".

Chief Minister MK Stalin, after visiting the ailing minister, slammed the BJP, saying it was resorting to "politics of intimation."

"DMK will not be cowed down by BJP's intimidation. People are watching such oppression and will give a befitting reply in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," Mr Stalin said.

State minister P K Sekar Babu claimed there were "symptoms" that Mr Balaji was "tortured".

Senthil Balaji was arrested late last night after day-long raids and hours of questioning. The ED on Tuesday raided Mr Balaji's residence, his office at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat and the premises of his brother and a close aide in Karur district.

Mr Senthil broke down while being taken to the hospital for a medical checkup by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials. TV visuals showed Mr Balaji feeling uneasy and crying in the car.

Responding to Mr Stalin's charge, state BJP chief K Annamalai said the ED action was a culmination of a five-year probe into the cash for jobs scam.

He said the allegations against Mr Balaji dated back to when he was a minister during the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK regime. The action is not party-based.

There was a direction from the Supreme Court to the ED to continue its investigation into the cash for jobs scam," Mr Annamalai said.

"That being the case, how is this political vendetta. Mr Stalin and his alliance party leaders should explain," he said.

He also tweeted an old video of Mr Stalin in which he is seen criticising Senthil Balaji.

"A gentle reminder to Thiru @mkstalin on what he spoke a few years back about the #CashForJobScam tainted Thiru Senthil Balaji. Are you going to refute this, Thiru @mkstalin ? Why are you playing victim card today?," tweeted the BJP leader. 

Justifying Mr Balaji's arrest, senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar alleged irregularities in his ministry. Mr Balaji is the Minister of Electricity, Prohibition and Excise.

He urged the probe agency to review Mr Balaji's health status with the help of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and initiate further legal proceedings against him.