Sack Minister Senthil Balaji after SC criticism: TN BJP to CM Stalin

Chennai, Dec 3 (IANS) Tamil Nadu BJP state vice president and senior leader Narayanan Thirupathy has demanded that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin immediately remove state Power Minister Senthil Balaji from the cabinet.

In a post on social media platform X on Tuesday, Thirupathy questioned the Chief Minister’s decision to reappoint Senthil Balaji as a minister despite his legal controversies.

The post referred to the Supreme Court’s recent remarks expressing concern over Balaji’s reinstatement in the Tamil Nadu government following his bail in a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam.

The Supreme Court, on Monday, agreed to examine a plea that raised apprehensions about the potential influence on witnesses in the case.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih questioned the decision, stating, “We granted you bail, and days later, you become a minister. Anybody would be under the impression that, with your position as a senior cabinet minister, witnesses may feel pressured. What is this going on?”

Thirupathy emphasised that this question from the Supreme Court was directed at Chief Minister Stalin.

In the post, the BJP leader said, “Is Senthil Balaji the reason for this question? No. It is a question directed at Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. It is not Senthil Balaji’s fault for being appointed as a minister. The real question is why Stalin reinstated him.”

Thirupathy added that as a “responsible chief minister,” Stalin should have refrained from reinstating Balaji until the legal proceedings against him were resolved.

He noted that Balaji had been in custody for over 400 days because it was believed he might influence witnesses in the case.

Thirupathy further recalled that Stalin had been critical of Senthil Balaji five years ago when the minister was not part of the DMK. At that time, Stalin had accused Balaji of corruption and demanded action against him.

“The Chief Minister must understand the Supreme Court’s concerns and remove Senthil Balaji from the cabinet immediately. As a responsible leader, this is the only appropriate course of action,” Thirupathy said.

The BJP leader also pointed out that allowing Balaji to return to a ministerial position undermines public confidence in the integrity of the government.