Money, Political Posturing, And Kongu Campaign Management: Why DMK Is Likely To Make Senthil Balaji A Minister Again

Former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji was released on bail on 26 September after more than a year of his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a cash-for-jobs scam.

Balaji and his associates had allegedly taken bribes from candidates to appoint them to posts in various road transport corporations during his tenure as the state’s transport minister. He was then part of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

Balaji’s release on bail was celebrated by his party, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and even though he is not in the best of health (he had undergone bypass surgery after his arrest), talks of his re-induction into the state cabinet have begun.

People are wondering if Chief Minister M K Stalin's recent remarks about changes in the cabinet are hinting at Balaji’s reentry, even as all the chatter surrounds Udhayanidhi Stalin’s elevation as deputy chief minister.

Though Stalin's remarks were made before Balaji got bail, it could be said that Balaji’s release was only a matter of time, in line with the stand taken by the Supreme Court in the case of Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and K Kavitha — all powerful politicians who were also arrested by the ED.

It wouldn't be surprising if the DMK brings Balaji back into the cabinet, as it has already done so with minister K Ponmudi, whose conviction in a disproportionate assets case was stayed by the Supreme Court.

But what might be the driving factors for the party to do so in the case of Balaji?

One is that he is a strongman and an important campaign manager, key to the party’s fortunes in the Kongu region (western Tamil Nadu), where the AIADMK has traditionally done well.

Balaji is believed to have played an important role in ensuring the DMK’s victory in the 2021 assembly election.

Among the methods his henchmen (called the ‘Karur gang’) allegedly used to raise finances during his tenure as excise minister was making TASMAC liquor shops charge customers Rs 10 extra per bottle.

Two is that the DMK has consistently said Balaji's arrest was wrong and an act of political vendetta. Balaji’s lawyers went all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing that the ED did not have the power to take him into custody. 

Further, given the combative tone employed in the video released by Chief Minister Stalin immediately after Balaji’s arrest (in which Stalin warned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of repercussions) and his adamance on retaining him as a minister in spite of immense pressure, not re-inducting him now would seem like surrendering to the opposition.

So three things — money, the DMK’s need for political posturing, and the party’s dependence on Balaji to fare well in the Kongu region — are likely to ensure Balaji’s return to the state cabinet. 

While it may not happen immediately, it is unlikely to take too long either, and given that Balaji is one DMK leader who is publicly religious (he was often seen with kumkum (vermilion) on his forehead before his arrest), his re-induction might happen during a shubha muhurtham (auspicious time), like in the case of the swearing in of Udhayanidhi in 2022.