Alleged ‘journalist’ Shabbir Ahmed of Dravidian Stockist propaganda outlet The News Minute (TNM) has gone out of his way to portray the arrest of DMK Liquor Minister Senthil Balaji as an act of revenge by the BJP which has happened just days after Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit.
The News Minute, as expected, has cried foul and their journalist, Shabbir Ahmed in this nearly 20-minute video tries to explain the details of the arrest of the minister alleging it to be a handiwork of the BJP to crackdown on political opponents.
He begins by asking the question as to why the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had to conduct the raid now, that too for a scam that happened nearly a decade ago, highlighting the AIADMK reign when it happened. He also stresses the point that the ED harassed Senthil Balaji, which has been peddled by the DMK to play victim card.
In this video, he compares the arrests of Partha Chatterjee of West Bengal with that of Senthil Balaji. He says that even though this action has come in response to the scam, he emphatically believes that there is a political angle to this arrest and that such moves were made basically to break parties and make politicians change affiliations and “move to the BJP”.
He also questions the need to arrest Senthil Balaji at midnight as the investigation was ongoing and that since he is a minister in the state cabinet, there was no risk of him fleeing.
Will Senthil Balaji Be Removed From His Position As A Minister? Asks Shabbir Worriedly
Shabbir Ahmed seemed genuinely concerned about whether Senthil Balaji will be allowed to continue as a minister post his arrest and filing of charges. He talks about the arrest of a former cabinet minister in the Kejriwal-led Delhi government, Satyendar Jain, who he said continued as a minister despite his arrest and it was only after about 14 months after the arrest that he resigned. He also speaks about Manish Sisodia, former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, and mentioned that after he was arrested, Sisodia resigned from his post. So will Senthil Balaji be able to continue as minister or will he have to resign, very sincerely worries Shabbir.
DMK Is Ready For The Next Steps Says Shabbir Confidently
Shabbir very confidently indicates that there is a political shade to the ED raids and the arrest of Senthil Balaji. He also speaks gloriously about how Senthil Balaji rose up the ranks in a very short period of time:
As soon as he joined the DMK, Senthil Balaji was made the DMK Karur District Secretary in 2019. In 2021, he was made the minister and enjoys great support in the Kongu region.
Shabbir continues to sing paeans about Senthil Balaji saying he is a powerful minister and is very close to the Chief Minister MK Stalin and that could be a reason that many were targeting him.
Shabbir also went on to add that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was looking to capture power (win seats in Tamil Nadu) and this could be possible only if Senthil Balaji was removed from the picture. He mentions that Senthil Balaji’s influence over the people and planning and strategy caused a setback to AIADMK in the recent local elections.
According to Shabbir, IT raids in general, are a way to “finish” an entire network of politicians, now again his concern for the Minister is seen as he wonders whether after this arrest, will Senthil Balaji be able to work effectively.
He says that such an attack on Senthil Balaji by the central government is a clear message to the DMK and that he was worried about how MK Stalin will handle this politically and legally.
This is not the first time Shabbir Ahmed blatantly does this, even political analyst Savukku Shankar agrees.
The Commune Mag had earlier reported on how Shabbir shamelessly justified the usurpation of a village by the Waqf board and how his ground reports on the hooch tragedy in May 2023 completely ignored the DMK connections to the incident and shifted the blame on the authorities. He doesn’t stop there – there have been many instances where he has bent backwards to prove his loyalty to the ruling dispensation in Tamil Nadu – here are some articles for you to read:
The New Murasoli: TNM’s Shabbir Ahmed Bends Backwards To Prove Senthil Balaji Arrest Is Politically Motivated
Alleged ‘journalist’ Shabbir Ahmed of Dravidian Stockist propaganda outlet The News Minute (TNM) has gone out of his way to portray the arrest of DMK Liquor Minister Senthil Balaji as an act of revenge by the BJP which has happened just days after Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit.
The News Minute, as expected, has cried foul and their journalist, Shabbir Ahmed in this nearly 20-minute video tries to explain the details of the arrest of the minister alleging it to be a handiwork of the BJP to crackdown on political opponents.
He begins by asking the question as to why the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had to conduct the raid now, that too for a scam that happened nearly a decade ago, highlighting the AIADMK reign when it happened. He also stresses the point that the ED harassed Senthil Balaji, which has been peddled by the DMK to play victim card.
In this video, he compares the arrests of Partha Chatterjee of West Bengal with that of Senthil Balaji. He says that even though this action has come in response to the scam, he emphatically believes that there is a political angle to this arrest and that such moves were made basically to break parties and make politicians change affiliations and “move to the BJP”.
He also questions the need to arrest Senthil Balaji at midnight as the investigation was ongoing and that since he is a minister in the state cabinet, there was no risk of him fleeing.
Will Senthil Balaji Be Removed From His Position As A Minister? Asks Shabbir Worriedly
Shabbir Ahmed seemed genuinely concerned about whether Senthil Balaji will be allowed to continue as a minister post his arrest and filing of charges. He talks about the arrest of a former cabinet minister in the Kejriwal-led Delhi government, Satyendar Jain, who he said continued as a minister despite his arrest and it was only after about 14 months after the arrest that he resigned. He also speaks about Manish Sisodia, former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, and mentioned that after he was arrested, Sisodia resigned from his post. So will Senthil Balaji be able to continue as minister or will he have to resign, very sincerely worries Shabbir.
DMK Is Ready For The Next Steps Says Shabbir Confidently
Shabbir very confidently indicates that there is a political shade to the ED raids and the arrest of Senthil Balaji. He also speaks gloriously about how Senthil Balaji rose up the ranks in a very short period of time:
As soon as he joined the DMK, Senthil Balaji was made the DMK Karur District Secretary in 2019. In 2021, he was made the minister and enjoys great support in the Kongu region.
Shabbir continues to sing paeans about Senthil Balaji saying he is a powerful minister and is very close to the Chief Minister MK Stalin and that could be a reason that many were targeting him.
Shabbir also went on to add that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was looking to capture power (win seats in Tamil Nadu) and this could be possible only if Senthil Balaji was removed from the picture. He mentions that Senthil Balaji’s influence over the people and planning and strategy caused a setback to AIADMK in the recent local elections.
According to Shabbir, IT raids in general, are a way to “finish” an entire network of politicians, now again his concern for the Minister is seen as he wonders whether after this arrest, will Senthil Balaji be able to work effectively.
He says that such an attack on Senthil Balaji by the central government is a clear message to the DMK and that he was worried about how MK Stalin will handle this politically and legally.
This is not the first time Shabbir Ahmed blatantly does this, even political analyst Savukku Shankar agrees.
The Commune Mag had earlier reported on how Shabbir shamelessly justified the usurpation of a village by the Waqf board and how his ground reports on the hooch tragedy in May 2023 completely ignored the DMK connections to the incident and shifted the blame on the authorities. He doesn’t stop there – there have been many instances where he has bent backwards to prove his loyalty to the ruling dispensation in Tamil Nadu – here are some articles for you to read:
DMK D-Stock Media Cry Foul Over Tamizh Thaai Vaazhthu In Karnataka
Annamalai Wont Apologise, Takes D-Stock Media To Cleaners
Shabbir Assaulted By DMK Goons
It will be a good reminder at this juncture that the same Shabbir Ahmed was assaulted by DMK goons in 2014 while covering the elections.
It would do well for The News Minute to change its current named to The New Murasoli as they keep parroting the DMK line time and again.
(Hydra is a freelance writer and columnist.)
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