The DMK’s anti-drug protests against TVK Minister Ghilli Sarath Kumar have produced an awkward political irony: the party now demanding zero tolerance over a disputed viral video is the same party that once counted alleged ₹2,000-crore international drug kingpin Jaffer Sadiq among its office-bearers.
On Monday, 29 June 2026, the DMK student wing staged protests across Tamil Nadu, accusing the TVK government of promoting a “drug-friendly” culture and demanding that Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay immediately dismiss and arrest Sarath Kumar. The agitation was triggered by a two-year-old video that resurfaced online, showing the minister using an ATM card to crush a white substance on a mobile phone during an IPL match.
#JUSTIN || அமைச்சர் சரத்குமார் பதவி விலக வலியுறுத்தி தி.மு.க மறியல்| #Chennai | #MinisterSarathkumar | #DMK | #Protest | #Arrest | #PolimerNews pic.twitter.com/GiTBIgqIw5
— Polimer News (@polimernews) June 29, 2026
Sarathkumar has denied any wrongdoing, stating that he was crushing a tablet for his young daughter, who was unwell and unwilling to swallow the medicine. However, the DMK has rejected the explanation, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the video and its original social media post raise serious questions.
While the protests have focused entirely on the viral clip, they have also drawn attention to the DMK’s own record on drug-related controversies, particularly the case involving former party functionary Jaffer Sadiq.
The contrast has become a talking point because the current protests are based on allegations arising from an ambiguous viral video that the minister disputes, whereas the Jaffer Sadiq case involved a federal investigation into an alleged international narcotics network.
In 2024, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) identified Jaffer Sadiq as the alleged mastermind of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate accused of smuggling large quantities of pseudoephedrine, a precursor chemical used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, to countries including Australia and New Zealand. The Enforcement Directorate later launched a parallel money laundering investigation into the alleged proceeds of the operation.
Before his arrest, Jaffer Sadiq was not a fringe political worker. He held the position of Chennai West District Deputy Organiser in the DMK’s NRI Wing and had been publicly associated with senior party leaders. Photographs of him at party events and while presenting contributions to the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund were widely circulated after the case came to light.
Some more instances include the JSM Residency in Chennai, which was a two-star hotel, was inaugurated by DMK’s HRCE Minister PK Sekar Babu. Additionally, the promotion of Saleem Bhai’s biryani was done in collaboration with Dravidianist director Ameer Sulthan.
JSM.RESIDENCY. Hotel. திரு.மாண்புமிகு அமைச்சர். P.K. சேகர் பாபு. MLA. இந்து சமய அறநிலையத்துறை அமைச்சர். அவர்கள் திறந்து வைத்தார். சிறப்பு விருந்தினராக இயக்குனர் நடிகர். திரு. அமீர் அவர்கள் கலந்து கொண்டு விழா சிறப்பித்தார். இதன் pic.twitter.com/EsZQFkAf6a
— Chennai journalist (@ibrahim_Ajay) August 2, 2022
Furthermore, JSM Productions, which produced the film ‘Mangai‘, saw Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi (DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin’s wife) as the chief guest for the launch of the film’s single.
One of the businesses of Jaffer Sadiq is Pitch n Play which was inaugurated by DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran.
The DMK expelled Jaffer Sadiq only after the Narcotics Control Bureau publicly identified him as the alleged mastermind of an international drug trafficking network and the case exploded into the national spotlight.
Against that backdrop, the party’s latest anti-drug campaign is ironical. The DMK is mobilising statewide protests and demanding the dismissal of a minister over a disputed viral video, while its own former office-bearer is being investigated by central agencies in connection with an alleged ₹2,000-crore international drug syndicate.
The contrast is telling. The same party that now seeks to project itself as uncompromising on drug-related issues once found itself explaining how an individual who later became the subject of a major NCB investigation held an official position within its organisation and enjoyed visibility alongside senior party leaders before his expulsion.
The DMK’s aggressive campaign against Sarathkumar has reopened questions about whether the party applies the same standards of political accountability to itself as it demands of its opponents.
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