TVK Minister Sarathkumar at the Centre of Drug Controversy

After Viral IPL Video

Report By Y-Trendz

CHENNAI, Tamil Nadu — June 26, 2026

The timing could not have been more awkward — or more politically damaging. On a day when Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay was being celebrated across social media for stylishly sprinting at

the head of an Anti-Drug Run marathon through the streets of Chennai, one of his own cabinet ministers was rapidly becoming the subject of a very different kind of viral moment — one that has plunged the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government into its most embarrassing controversy since coming to power.

A video showing D. Sarathkumar, Tamil Nadu's Minister for Human Resource Management, apparently crushing a white powdery substance and carefully arranging it into a line on a mobile phone screen using a credit card — with a currency note visible alongside — exploded across social media on Friday, June 26, 2026. To millions of viewers who saw the clip, the visual was unmistakable, the imagery jarring: it appeared to depict a sitting cabinet minister engaged in drug use at a public event. By nightfall, #Sarathkumar was trending across platforms, political rivals were sharpening their attacks, and the minister found himself scrambling before television cameras with his wife and infant daughter in tow to explain what he insists was a profoundly innocent act.

The Viral Video: A Clip That Appeared to Say a Thousand Words

Mere hours after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay led the 'Start Run, Stop Drugs' marathon in Chennai on Friday, June 26, a video surfaced on social media showing state Human Resource Management Minister D. Sarath Kumar seemingly arranging a white powdery substance on a phone screen with a bank card. The video triggered outrage, with many accusing the minister of drug abuse. In the video, Minister Sarath is seen at a stadium attending an Indian Premier League match.

What made the controversy particularly difficult to contain was the origin of the footage itself. The viral video, apparently downloaded from Sarathkumar's own social media account, carried the caption "Thug Life Moment" and showed him seated next to a woman, using a credit card to make a line of white powder placed on the screen of a mobile phone, with a currency note placed alongside it, giving the appearance of drug use.

The minister had posted the video himself. The caption — "Thug Life Moment" — a phrase that typically signals a cool, unflappable reaction to a situation, added fuel to an already raging fire. The combination of the visual elements — white powder, credit card, currency note, mobile phone screen — created an image that observers, social media users, and opposition politicians wasted no time in interpreting in the most damaging possible way.

The Explanation: A Sick Child, a Crushed Tablet, and a Desperate Parent

After the controversy erupted, Sarath posted an explanation video, carrying his child, while his wife stood beside him. Denying allegations of drug use, he said: "My daughter was unwell. Since she was unable to swallow a tablet, I decided to crush it to mix it in water and medicate her. The video is now being circulated as if I consumed drugs. I find myself in a very disheartening situation."

The minister elaborated further, saying: "This footage is from an IPL match at the Chepauk stadium two years ago. At the time, my child suddenly fell ill. I crushed a doctor-prescribed pill to administer it, as my child was unable to swallow it whole."

His wife corroborated the account in no uncertain terms. Minister Sarathkumar's wife, Radhika, clarified: "A video is currently being circulated based on a misunderstanding. It is our duty to provide a proper explanation, which is why we have released this video. Notably, there was heavy police security during the cricket match, and a large number of members of the public were present. How could drugs possibly be used in such a setting?"

The minister himself made the same logical argument — that a cabinet minister attending a highly policed, heavily attended public event at one of India's most iconic cricket venues could not plausibly choose that moment to consume illegal drugs. He said: "At an IPL match, there are so many people around, and the police are also present. How is it possible to do drugs? They are misrepresenting what happened."

The Problems With the Explanation

The clarification, however, opened up more questions than it answered. Critics and analysts pointed to one glaring detail: while Sarath and a woman are seen in the viral video, it does not include a child. If the minister was crushing medicine for his infant daughter, the conspicuous absence of the child from the frame of the footage has left many unconvinced.

The opposition was swift to capitalise. The DMK IT wing tweeted an image of a mobile phone, a credit card, and a currency note, labelling it "The New Baby Care Kit." The sardonic jab landed hard on social media, being widely shared and amplified, further muddying the TVK government's messaging on what was supposed to be a landmark day of anti-drug awareness.

The Police Response: A Probe Is Underway

The matter has moved beyond political point-scoring. A top police officer told The News Minute that they will be probing the video as there are allegations of drug usage. The initiation of a formal inquiry by law enforcement means that the controversy is no longer simply a social media storm — it now carries legal and institutional weight that the minister and the TVK government will have to navigate carefully.

The Irony: An Anti-Drug Day Overshadowed

The political damage is compounded by the extraordinary irony of the day's juxtaposition. Chief Minister Vijay had earlier launched a signature campaign with the slogan "Pick up sports, give up drugs," before flagging off the marathon aimed at raising awareness against drug abuse and joining the public in the run. It was meant to be a defining moment of the TVK administration's identity — a young, populist government, led by a film star, connecting with ordinary Tamilians on an issue — drug abuse — that has devastated communities across the state.

Instead, the headline the government woke up to on the morning of June 27 was not about Vijay's marathon. It was about a video of one of his own ministers, a white powder, and a credit card.

The TVK government has built much of its appeal on projecting a clean, youthful, anti-establishment image. How Minister Sarathkumar and the party manage this crisis — including the outcome of the police inquiry — will be a crucial test of whether that image can be sustained when it is directly challenged.

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The police inquiry into the video is ongoing. Minister Sarathkumar has categorically denied drug use. No charges have been filed as of the time of publication.