West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday condemned the raids by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji, alleging that it was a political vendetta by the BJP.

The ED searched places linked to Balaji and some other people as part of a money laundering investigation, officials said.

"I condemn the political vendetta by BJP against DMK today. Misuse of central agencies continues. ED raids in Tamil Nadu at the office of Minister for Prohibition and Excise at the state secretariat and his official residence are unacceptable. Desperate acts by BJP," she tweeted.

The minister's office at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in Chennai was among the locations searched by the ED.

Incidentally, senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of the chief minister, did not appear before the ED earlier in the day, skipping questioning in connection with the school jobs scam. He cited engagements due to panchayat polls in West Bengal for not appearing before the central investigators.

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