England [UK], September 15 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay held high-level discussions with prominent Indian corporate leaders and global manufacturing executives in London, securing key commitments to bolster the state's automotive ventures and renewable energy sector.
During a packed day of business engagements, a high-powered delegation led by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister met with top industrialists, including Dheeraj Hinduja, Executive Chairman of Ashok Leyland, Prakash P. Chhabria, Executive Chairman of Finolex Industries Limited, and Director Ritu Hinduja Chhabria.
According to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Office, during this meeting, Hinduja briefed the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on the progress of the Hinduja Group's investments in Tamil Nadu, as well as the follow-up actions being taken based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth ₹2,500 crore signed during the 'VETTRI' Tamil Nadu Investors' Conference held in August 2026.
Reiterating the Hinduja Group's commitment to continuous investment and business expansion in Tamil Nadu, the team expressed interest in further increasing investments in the state's renewable energy sector, particularly in wind energy.
Discussions also centred on scaling up exports of commercial vehicles manufactured in Tamil Nadu and steps to strengthen Tamil Nadu's role as an export hub for the automotive manufacturing sector, the release stated.
The event was attended by Kumaran Periasamy, IFS, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Nidhi Mani Tripathi, IAS, Minister (Economic), High Commission of India, London, and senior officials of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
In a separate engagement, a leading European vehicle spare parts manufacturer formally communicated its preference for Tamil Nadu as the destination of choice for its proposed ₹3,000 crore greenfield investment in India.
In the presence of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister S. Joseph Vijay in London, England, today, a leading European vehicle spare parts manufacturing company expressed its preference for Tamil Nadu as the preferred location for its proposed Rs. 3,000 crore investment in India, and submitted its letter of intent to the Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Government's guiding agency, Deepak Jacob, IAS, the press release stated.
The Tamil Nadu Government has assured the company of providing all necessary support and cooperation to facilitate this proposed investment and to successfully establish its operations in Tamil Nadu.
Amid the Chief Minister's ongoing UK tour, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy launched a scathing attack on the administration, questioning the transparency and actual agenda behind the foreign tour.
Thirupathy alleged that the trip lacked substantive disclosures on the investment pacts in its initial days.
"This is the fifth day for CM Vijay, and there is no information about any meeting meant for attracting investments or any MoU. I think lying like this, to make people fools, is wrong. The only event in which he was participating was actor Ajith's Motor Race, along with Minister Aadhav Arjuna and actress Trisha,” Thirupathy told ANI.
Alleging that the CM wanted to take a trip for pleasure, he said, “CM Vijay could have very easily said that he wanted a break after 100 days of his governance and that he wanted to have a pleasure trip. Nobody is going to oppose it. Why does he unnecessarily lie like this?"
During his first official overseas visit, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay visited the world-famous Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit in England, inspected its infrastructure facilities and flagged off the car race for the 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup, in which renowned actor and motor racing driver Ajith Kumar participated.
Vijay personally inspected the track layout, safety systems and other infrastructural facilities there on Saturday before he flagged off the race.
The event was attended by the Minister for Public Works and Sports Development, Aadhav Arjuna; Member Secretary of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, Meghanatha Reddy; and senior officials, according to the CMO.
This follows Chief Minister Vijay's announcement in the State Assembly to establish a world-class "Motor Sports City," leveraging Tamil Nadu's strong automotive and EV manufacturing ecosystem.
Actor Ajith also hailed the announcement earlier, and their meeting during the event gained widespread attention, as both have spent more than three decades being portrayed as competing stars of Tamil cinema.
Ajith publicly thanked Vijay for taking time from his official responsibilities to attend the event and expressed happiness over his former colleague's political journey.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay is currently on an official visit to the United Kingdom, leading a high-level delegation to attract fresh global investments and expand operations across key sectors, including advanced manufacturing, electric vehicles (EVs), electronics, and Global Capability Centres (GCCs).
The overseas outreach aims to generate large-scale employment and further solidify the state government's core objective of positioning Tamil Nadu as Asia’s leading investment-friendly destination.
The visit follows a major economic milestone achieved within 100 days of the Vijay-led administration assuming office, during which the state signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) securing investments exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore at the 'Vetri Tamil Nadu Investors’ Conference 2026', according to an official statement. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu CM secures industrial, renewable energy commitments during UK Visit; oversees European auto firms' 3,000 cr investment proposal
