BJP targets DMK govt with 'rate card' after TN minister Balaji's arrest

The BJP on Wednesday attacked the DMK government in Tamil Nadu after the arrest of Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji on corruption charges and cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment to accuse opposition parties of having "rate cards" for different jobs in states they are in power.

BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam said Balaji's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is based on evidence and follows the Supreme Court's critical observation about the case involving the former AIADMK leader, now in the ruling DMK.

As opposition leader, M K Stalin had also gone after Balaji but "compromised" when he came to power and the accused joined the DMK, he said. "The DMK leader then dropped all the charges," he alleged.


While Islam targeted Chief Minister Stalin-led government, senior BJP leader and party national general secretary Arun Singh hit out at the Congress government in Rajasthan, alleging that the dispensation under CM Ashok Gehlot is "most useless and incompetent" in the country.

Citing cases of alleged atrocities against women and Dalits besides corruption, including incidents of money and gold bars found in offices of suspected officials, Singh described it as a reign of "jungle raj and rampant corruption".

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should apologise as his promises of debt waiver for farmers and unemployment allowance for the youth were never fulfilled by the state government, Singh, the BJP's in-charge for Rajasthan, said.

He also took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi's sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, saying she never visited women victims of crimes in Rajasthan.

Islam accused Balaji of collecting bribes along with his associates during a recruitment drive when he was a minister in the AIADMK government led by then chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

The accused had collected a large amount of money and then worked out a compromise with some complainants but the Supreme Court held a critical view after another person approached it, the BJP spokesperson claimed.

The BJP leader cited Stalin's strong criticism of Balaji when the DMK was in the opposition to accuse him of making a compromise after the DMK leader became the chief minister and Balaji switched his party.

Citing Modi's comments, he said while the BJP is working to safeguard people's future, state governments of parties like the TMC, Congress, RJD, and DMK have rate cards for jobs.

After the ED action on Tuesday, Stalin attacked the BJP, accusing it of intimidating its political rivals.