V. Senthil Balaji, the Tamil Nadu minister who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charge, underwent a beating heart coronary artery bypass at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai.
The surgery involved the placement of four bypass grafts, according to a statement by the hospital, which also said that the minister is “’currently hemodynamically stable and [is] being monitored in the post-operative cardiothoracic intensive care unit”. The success of the surgery was also confirmed by Ma Subramanian, Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Medical and Family Welfare.
Senthil Balaji’s successful surgery comes in light of the Supreme Court’s refusal to stay the order by Madras High Court allowing the transfer of the minister to a private hospital. Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on June 14 on a cash-for-jobs scam case during his tenure as the Transport Minister.
Following his arrest, Balaji complained of chest pains, and was subsequently diagnosed with a coronary heart disease by a government hospital. Following the High Court, the minister was shifted to Kauvery Hospital, on whose recommendation the surgery was conducted.
The arrest of Senthil Balaji has triggered a political storm in the state. The drama surrounding the arrest and subsequent events is bound to have an effect on the polls during the general elections scheduled for next year.
The ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of selectively targetting political opponents using the state machinery. This stance has been supported by the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the Trinamool Congress.
The BJP and its ally AIADMK, for their part, have tried to leverage the situation to gain footing in the state where they suffered heavy defeat in the 2021 Assembly election.
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