All Downhill After Senthil

The June 14 arrest of former Tamil Nadu electricity and prohibition and excise minister Senthil Balaji by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering and cash-for-jobs case poses fresh challenges to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who has volubly deplored Balaji's arrest, terming it "vindictive politics" by the BJP-ruled Centre, withdrew the general consent for CBI probes in Tamil Nadu the same day.

- Amarnath K. Menon

From now on, the central probe agency has to obtain permission from the state government before starting an investigation. Clearly, the DMK government is apprehensive of more raids and probes by central agencies. Other than the BJPDMK tussle, the fallout from Balaji's arrest can also be seen in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's hopes for the polls, and in its contest for supremacy with the BJP in the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu.

The case pertains to a cash-for-jobs scam when Balaji, then with the AIADMK, was transport minister in Jayalalithaa's cabinet (2011-15). From 2015-18, he has been accused by different people/ job aspirants of taking bribes in exchange for employment in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC). He now also faces related money-laundering charges by the ED.