The first picture of senior Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji, who has been hospitalized in Chennai, is out as it was shared by Chief Minister MK Stalin, who met the former in the hospital. Senthil Balaji has complained of chest pain and he has been getting treated at the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai.

Senthil Balaji was taken to the hospital at around 2.15 am on Wednesday - June 14, moments after he was placed under arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection to the money laundering case. The ED sleuths have conducted an 18-hour search on Tuesday at the residences of Senthil Balaji in Chennai and Karur. The ED officials have also raided the minister's chambers in the Chief Secretariat complex, that brought a strong flak from Chief Minister MK Stalin and other DMK leaders. 

When he was taken to the hospital, the visuals have shown that Senthil Balaji was lying in a car and crying due to the pain. Senthil Balaji was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit and he has been getting monitored by a team of doctors. Several DMK Ministers have visited the hospital and inquired about Senthil Balaji's health condition with the doctors. The DMK leaders have slammed ED for its clampdown on Senthil Balaji and alleged that the central agency has harassed him. 

The DMK Ministers, after visiting the hospital, have said that the doctors have detected variations in Senthil Balaji's Electrocardiogram (ECG). It has also been reported that he had undergone angiogram procedure and that he needs to be in the hospital for two to three days. Following the visit of around 16 ministers, Chief Minister MK Stalin drove to the hospital to inquire the minister's health condition.

MK Stalin was accompanied by senior ministers including Ma Subramanian, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare. After meeting Senthil Balaji, MK Stalin has shared what has become the first picture of Senthil Balaji from inside the hospital. In the picture, Senthil Balaji was seen wearing the patient's gown while MK Stalin and Ma Subramanian were standing next to him. 

Besides sharing a picture, MK Stalin had also come down heavily on the ED by stating that the central agency has harassed Senthil Balaji, though he agreed to cooperate with the inquiry. Taking to Twitter, MK Stalin wrote, "What was the motive of Enforcement Directorate that tortured minister Senthil Balaji in a way that he could suffer chest pain, even after he agreed to fully cooperate with the inquiry?"

"Is it necessary for the Enforcement Directorate officials to act in a dehumanizing manner in violation of the legal procedures required by the case? DMK don't fear these kinds of intimidations from BJP. People will teach a lesson in the 2024 general elections", the Chief Minister added. In his statement, MK Stalin said that the BJP is taking revenge on the political forces who stand against it by using the ED. 

He said, "All the leaders in India know this and this is what happening in many other states. It's happening here as well. In the name of investigation, Senthil Balaji was harassed mentally and physically. They have given stress to the extent of him developing chest pain." Senthil Balaji's faction has reached out to the Madras High Court to seek a directive against ED's drive of arresting him. 

விசாரணைக்கு முழு ஒத்துழைப்பு தருகிறேன் என்று சொன்ன பிறகும் அமைச்சர் செந்தில் பாலாஜிக்கு நெஞ்சு வலி ஏற்படும் வகையில் சித்ரவதை கொடுத்த அமலாக்கத்துறையின் நோக்கம் என்ன?

வழக்கிற்குத் தேவையான சட்ட நடைமுறைகளை மீறி மனிதநேயமற்ற முறையில் அமலாக்கத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் நடந்து கொண்டிருப்பது… pic.twitter.com/D2EIs5vvWN

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) June 14, 2023