Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s recent London visit was a “pleasure tour”, the state’s BJP president Nainar Nagendran said on Wednesday.
This came after the chief minister’s London event was cancelled over safety concerns. Vijay is leading a state delegation to the UK to attract investments into Tamil Nadu . The commitments cover automotive manufacturing, technology, global capability centres and electrical equipment.
The Tamil Nadu government initially announced investment commitments of about ₹ 12,300 crore from agreements signed during Vijay’s London visit, with the projects reportedly expected to create around 10,000 jobs.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Nagendran alleged that the state government was presenting already existing companies as new industrial investments secured during Vijay’s overseas visit. The party also asked supporters not to gather outside the hotel where Vijay was staying or along his travel routes, as per PTI.
Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) IT wing said on social media that the meeting could not go ahead following the police request. “Keeping public safety in mind and adhering to the guidelines of the London Metropolitan Police, the chief minister will be unable to meet you,” the TVK IT wing said.
“Chief minister Vijay’s London trip should be seen only as a pleasure tour. It is a complete lie that CM Vijay brought investments to Tamil Nadu. He also criticised Vijay over the proposed relocation of the Tamil Nadu Secretariat to Pattinapakkam, saying it could affect the interests of fishermen in the area.
They are pointing out already existing companies as new industrial investments,” Nagendran said. “As an actor, Vijay made a film as a friend of fishermen, but now, as Chief Minister, he is trying to bring the Secretariat to Pattinapakkam against the fishermen,” he said.
