Chennai: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has accused the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering-led Union authorities of pursuing a political agenda by means of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has summoned Karur MLA Senthil Balaji in reference to the massive stampede in Karur final 12 months.
The summons have been despatched despite the fact that no formal costs have been filed towards the DMK MLA. He has been requested to carry out on March seventeenth.
The occasion claims the transfer is a part of a sample of utilizing central businesses to place stress on opposition leaders and political events forward of the Tamil Nadu Meeting elections. After the Karur incident, opposition spokespeople and officers from actor Vijay’s occasion Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam had accused the DMK, together with Senthil Balaji, of oblique involvement and failure to coordinate with native authorities in organizing the rally. Vijay’s rally on xx (date) resulted in a crowd that left 41 individuals useless.
Chatting with ThePrint, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai alleged that the central company was being misused by the BJP. “The CBI is being utilized by the BJP as an instrument for political achieve and that is being accomplished by means of using subpoenas towards political leaders to safe electoral features. We have to see whether or not the CBI investigation is getting used for political stress towards TVK.”
Senthil Balaji is a distinguished DMK chief from Karur and has been elected to the Tamil Nadu Meeting 5 occasions throughout totally different constituencies and political events. He was elected from Karur (on AIADMK ticket) in 2006 and 2011, however after switching events in 2018, he was elected once more from Karur as a DMK candidate in 2021.
Political analysts have instructed that though Senthil Balaji didn’t immediately set up the occasion, he could have been named as a witness as a result of his regional affect and alleged interactions with occasion organizers. Earlier, the Karur Collector and SP had been additionally questioned by the CBI.
TVK publicity and coverage common secretary KG Arunraj had additionally earlier alleged that the BJP was utilizing the CBI to stress Mr. Vijay to kind an alliance with the BJP.
Mr. Vijay was additionally summoned by the CBI on Tuesday, however had requested for a 15-day delay citing elections and for the interrogation to be held in Chennai or its suburbs as an alternative of Delhi. The CBI agreed to interrogate him in Chennai.
The CBI has now requested Vijay to seem earlier than the police on March 15.
Whereas Mr. Vijay has appeared for questioning twice earlier than, that is the primary time Mr. Senthil Balaji has been summoned.
Responding to experiences that he ignored a summons to seem on March 9, Senthil Balaji clarified that he was requested to seem in 17 matches. His put up on X learn, “Contradictory experiences have surfaced in some media in regards to the summons from the CBI relating to the Karur tragic case. The summons despatched by the CBI has requested me to seem and provides a proof on March seventeenth, so I’ll personally go to the scene and provides a correct clarification to their questions.”
This isn’t the primary time that the DMK has questioned the function of central businesses just like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in focusing on opposition leaders and political events for political achieve, particularly in non-Bharatiya Social gathering nations.
“Not simply Senthil Balaji, all of the political leaders and arrestees focused by the Enforcement Directorate would have been requested to hitch the BJP. The BJP can be utilizing this to stress TVK to hitch the alliance. Senthil Balaji will seem in court docket and reply their questions if obligatory,” Annadurai mentioned.
Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP NR Elango instructed ThePrint that Senthil Balaji was among the many first responders who visited the victims and provided help after the stampede. “It will not be shocking if this authorities makes use of the CBI for political motives, though his function is just a witness. However Senthil Balaji has no connection to the case, so in the event that they attempt to hyperlink him to the case, it is going to create a backlash towards them,” Elango added.
Political analyst Ravindran Thuraisamy mentioned the CBI’s function was to affect politics in Tamil Nadu by focusing on individuals like Mr. Vijay and Mr. Balaji. “Though Senthil Balaji has solely been given the function of a witness, Mr. Vijay could face difficulties within the CBI probe. Politically, Mr. Vijay is seen as a future ally of Mr. Rahul Gandhi, which the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering must oust. Equally for Senthil Balaji, there could also be some stress however there isn’t any authorized legal responsibility,” Thuraisamy instructed ThePrint.
He added that though Balaji has been summoned to exert stress, he isn’t a police officer in command of coordinating the occasion or guaranteeing safety. “Even when there are accusations of his involvement, what’s the proof? How can he be blamed or framed for an occasion that he had no involvement in organizing?” he questioned.
The BJP dismissed the allegations as baseless.
TN “It’s flawed that Senthil Balaji was corrupt and extorted cash from individuals. We problem corrupt individuals like him to query the function of central businesses in discharging their duties,” mentioned Narayanan Thirupathy, chief spokesperson of the BJP. There isn’t any ethical proper. Furthermore, how can one accuse the CBI of getting used as a device for political achieve when it was the DMK that had lodged the criticism when Senthil Balaji was within the AIADMK?” Is {that a} very silly assertion from the BJP now? ”
(Edited by Vinny Mishra)
Additionally learn: Forward of the Tamil Nadu polls, TVK insiders say the subject of derailing Mr. Vijay’s private life is being scrutinized.
