Raids at Senthilbalaji's place ploy to make backdoor entry into TN: Stalin

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday condemned the ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) onslaught against his excise minister V Senthil Balaji, whose office at the Secretariat was among the places raided, and said that the ED raid was an assault on federal principles and the backdoor tactics of the BJP would not yield results.

In a statement issued just about the time the ED wound up the search at the Secretariat, Stalin said, "The raid conducted by ED at the Secretariat office of Hon'ble Minister Senthil Balaji, is a direct assault on the federal principle. The backdoor tactics of BJP against its political opponents will not yield them desired results. The BJP would learn it the hard way soon"

Stating that the silence of people who are watching BJP's cheap acts of vindictive politics should not be underestimated, the Chief Minister cautioned, "It is nothing but the calm before the storm of 2024 that will sweep BJP away."

Wondering as to what need arose to conduct a search in the minister's office in the secretariat after he assured total cooperation to the ED, the CM said, "I don't know if they are trying to demonstrate that they could even conduct a raid in the Secretariat or they intend to threaten using the raid. All this exemplifies that the investigating agencies function with a political intent."

Citing the timing of the raids, which happen two days after union home minister Amit Shah's visit to Tamil Nadu, the CM recalled the condemnation he had registered when IT raids took place at then-chief secretary Ramamohan Rao's chamber in the secretariat in the previous AIADMK regime and said, "Who the raids were conducted against is not important. Where it took place is important. The BJP is repeatedly setting a bad precedent. People of the country are witness to the BJP's politics of intimidation. The backdoor tactics of BJP against its political opponents will not yield the desired results."