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Senthil Balaji Arrest: TN Governor's Refusal To Reallocate Arrested Minister's Portfolio Sparks New Controversy

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday had launched searches at locations linked to Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji at Chennai, Karur and Erode as part of probe into money laundering and arrested him on Wednesday.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 16 June 2023 2:39 am

Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji

A fresh controversy is taking the centre stage in Tamil Nadu as?the Tamil Nadu Governor?R N Ravi?returned?the file pertaining to the reallocation of portfolios following the arrest of Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji by the Enforcement Directorate.

ED arrested Senthil Balaji

The ED on Tuesday had launched searches at locations linked to Balaji at Chennai, Karur and Erode as part of probe into money laundering and arrested him on Wednesday.

Amid the row over the?alleged money laundering case, Balaji was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a government hospital early on Wednesday where he underwent?coronary angiogram and was advised bypass surgery at the "earliest".

Governor declines CM Stalin's recommention

According to state Higher Education minister K Ponmudi, Ravi had declined Chief Minister M K Stalin's recommendation to reallocate the portfolios of electricity and prohibition, held by Balaji, to Ministers Thangam Thennarasu and S Muthusamy.

“The Chief Minister has the right to decide on the portfolio allocations or in inducting a minister or dropping a minister from the council of ministers, as per constitution and not the Governor,” Ponmudi said in a statement.

On May 31, the Governor had sent a letter to the CM asking to drop Senthil Balaji and the very next day, Stalin had given a detailed reply.

“The Governor, who ought to know the constitution, should have accepted the CM’s recommendation on the portfolio reallocation. But the Governor is acting like the agent of the BJP government at the Centre,” Ponmudi said.?

“Merely because a minister faces a case, he can’t be removed. Was home minister Amit Shah who faced a case when he was a state minister, sacked?” Ponmudi asked and added in the past many AIADMK ministers who faced cases were not sacked.