Old Video Of MK Stalin Embarrasses DMK Amid Row Over Minister's Arrest

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party chief K Annamalai on Wednesday gave a "gentle" reminder to Chief Minister MK Stalin about an old video where the DMK leader is heard speaking against Senthil Balaji who was then a Cabinet Minister in the AIADMK government.

"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 the victim card today?" Mr Annamalai wrote on Twitter.

In the video, Mr Stalin was heard speaking about a bus-ticket vending machine scam done by Balaji. "I spoke about the scam done while procuring the machines with proof in the Assembly," Mr Stalin could be purportedly heard saying in the video posted by Annamalai on Twitter.

"There is a minister from this Karur district Senthil Balaji. Though the cabinet was reshuffled 15 times and senior members were changed, Senthil Balaji remained in the Cabinet even though he was a junior minister," Mr Stalin was heard saying.

Mr Stalin can also be heard saying that Balaji was considered to be one of the candidates for the post of Chief Minister when the AIADMK government was in trouble. "I have heard that he was one of the CM probable candidates. This is the influence that he wields," he was head saying in the video.

Further Mr Stalin can be heard as saying, " Senthil Balaji and his brother are controlling the Karur district by corruption, land grabbing and looting. Everyone knows about him."

Senthil Balaji, who was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the early hours of Wednesday, was a minister under the AIADMK regime and switched sides to the DMK in the year 2017.

Mr Balaji was admitted to the Omandurar government hospital after he complained of chest discomfort.

Earlier in the day, Mr Stalin issued a statement after visiting the hospitalised Mr Balaji, in which he said that the DMK will not be intimidated by the threats of the BJP and that people will teach the BJP a lesson in the 2024 elections.

On Tuesday raids were carried out at Mr Balaji's Karur residence and his office at the state secretariat by the ED officials officials in connection to an alleged money laundering case. Following this, the ED took custody of the DMK minister for questioning.

High drama was witnessed outside the Chennai hospital when he was brought with Mr Balaji's supporters raising slogans outside the facility protesting against the ED action.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)