NEW DELHI: The AIADMK on Monday took a swipe at Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay over his visit to London to attract investment, questioning the need for such an overseas trip at taxpayers’ expense.The party pointed out that a company established in India in 1986 and headquartered in Noida was among the businesses involved, raising questions over the rationale for Vijay travelling to the UK for investment promotion.“A company established in India on 1986 , HQ Noida @actorvijay travels all the way to UK at tax payers money to attract investment,” AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan said in a post on X.Meanwhile, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday also took a swipe at Vijay’s UK visit, saying that while the government projected it as an effort to attract investments, photographs from the trip told a different story.Speaking at the engagement ceremony of an AIADMK functionary in Trichy, Palaniswami indirectly referred to photographs of Vijay flagging off a motor race at Silverstone.“It was believed that he was going to bring investments and improve the state’s economy. However, the photographs published in today’s newspapers tell a different story. Decide for yourself what they represent,” he said.This comes as, Vijay on Monday highlighted a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in London between Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd and Guidance, Tamil Nadu, for an investment of approximately Rs 11,000 crore in the state.“Today (14.09.2026), in London, England, Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd., along with its European and UK-based joint venture companies, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Guidance, Tamil Nadu, for an investment of approximately Rs.11,000 crore in Tamil Nadu. This investment will create employment opportunities for around 7,000 people across sectors including design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly, and logistics facilities,” Vijay said in a post on X.
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The MoU was signed and exchanged by Barry Painter, Global Head of Marketing and Communications, Samvardhana Motherson International Group, and Deepak Jacob, IAS, managing director of guidance, the nodal agency of the Tamil Nadu government.Indian high commissioner to the UK Kumaran Periyasamy, company representatives and senior Tamil Nadu government officials were also present at the event.Vijay is currently on a week-long visit to the United Kingdom as part of an overseas outreach programme aimed at attracting investments and expanding partnerships in sectors including advanced manufacturing, electric vehicles, electronics and Global Capability Centres.
