Anitha R Radhakrishnan is the Minister of Fisheries in Tamil Nadu.
On a visit to inspect complaints of seashore erosion by fishermen, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan may have managed to avoid stepping into muddy waters but he landed in controversy on Thursday.
A video showing Mr Radhakrishnan being carried by fishermen from a boat to the shore on their shoulders in the Thiruvallur district has been widely shared on social media.
The incident took place at the end of a survey for which he took a boat ride.
Dressed in spotless white complete with matching sneakers, the minister was seen getting onto a chair kept in the water from the boat, before being carried to the shore.
Denying reports that he refused to step in the water, he said "over-enthusiastic" fishermen lifted him on their own out of affection.
"Some hugged me, some even kissed me," the minister told NDTV.
However, the explanation did not stop the incident from triggering outrage on social media. Many slammed the display of VIP culture.
A five-time MLA who switched to the DMK from the AIADMK in 2009, 68-year-old Mr Radhakrishna, was elected from the Tiruchendur constituency in this year's elections.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had waded into a similar row in 2016 when he was seen on video being carried by two policemen during a visit to the flood-hit areas of the state.