Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s first official overseas visit to London has triggered a political controversy, with Opposition parties calling it a “fun trip” or “pleasure tour” funded by public money. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) questioned the authenticity of the plan of the government to attract foreign investors during the trip.
BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagendran Wednesday described the visit as a mere “pleasure tour”.
“It is a complete lie that Chief Minister Vijay brought investments to Tamil Nadu. They are pointing out already existing companies as new industrial investments,” he said, accusing the government of misleading the public by presenting expansions of firms already operating in the state as fresh gains from the trip.
On Monday, DMK mouthpiece Murasoli mocked the London visit as a trip to watch a car race rather than attract investors, alleging that Vijay “suddenly took off on his own” without the usual preparatory discussions involving ministers and officials. The editorial also cited reports of a roughly 74.5 percent decline in new investment proposals for Tamil Nadu during the first quarter of 2026, and a drop in the state’s national ranking from sixth to 17th.
Allies of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) haven’t kept quiet either.
P. Shanmugam, state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has also questioned the state government’s claim of securing more than Rs 1 lakh crore in investments and asked for the presentation of a white paper on the same. The DMK also pointed out the need for transparency of investments attracted by the government within about 100 days in office, asking why the visit was being presented as an investment-promotion exercise when the main visible programme appeared to be the Silverstone motor racing event.
Social media users also criticised the presence of Vijay’s co-actor Trisha Krishnan at the Silverstone Circuit, where he flagged off a race that saw the participation of actor-racer Ajith Kumar.
Opposition leaders, including Udhayanidhi Stalin, have also raised questions about the purpose of the multi-day trip, the composition of the delegation, noting the absence of the industries minister or senior officials from the department and asking whether government funds were used, and if there were any actual concrete outcomes.
The TVK strongly countered the criticism on Wednesday, highlighting announced investment commitments of around Rs 15,300 crore that are expected to create thousands of jobs, including a memorandum of understanding signed with EY and Samvardhana Motherson. TVK leaders, including Energy and Law Minister Nirmal Kumar, insisted that the primary purpose was investment outreach and studying sports infrastructure for a proposed motor sports city near Chennai.
In a statement on X, the TVK’s Information Technology Wing attacked the DMK over past use of public money. It stated that the previous regime used people’s tax money to go on a luxury trip outside Tamil Nadu with the entire family, including the son and daughter. Referring to former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s visit to Oxford University, the tweet stated that the previous regime booked a private venue in advance, and staged a photo-op under the name of “unveiling a Periyar statue,” and enacted a drama to deceive the people of Tamil Nadu.
The post contrasted this with Vijay’s visit, under which MoUs worth Rs 15,300 crore were signed, and mocked critics who complained about crowds gathering to see the chief minister in London. That event of Chief Minister Vijay was later cancelled over safety concerns.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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