Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has returned from Britain after a week-long visit that the state government says has brought investment proposals worth Rs 15,300 crore and the potential to create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The remark came as the Opposition questioned the government’s handling of issues in Tamil Nadu while Vijay was away on his first official overseas visit. The government has projected the visit as part of its larger effort to position Tamil Nadu as a global investment and industrial hub, with a long-term target of taking the state’s economy to $1.5 trillion by 2036. He subsequently flagged off the 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup race in which actor and racer Ajith Kumar participated.
The government says the trip was not restricted to signing investment agreements. Vijay, the government statement says, visited the Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit, inspected its Race Control and circuit infrastructure, and studied technology, operational arrangements and safety systems used for international endurance racing. Amid several political challenges, protests and controversies back home, DMK president M K Stalin took a swipe at Vijay’s overseas visit, saying the Chief Minister was “busy in London shooting”. Sathyan said Vijay’s priorities were not focused on the state and the people, and alleged that the government was projecting “fake publicity” and “fake achievements”. He also compared Vijay’s conduct to that of an actor, saying that only the location, place and characters had changed but “the shooting continues.”
The biggest proposal is from Samvardhana Motherson International, which, along with its European and UK-based joint ventures, has committed to exploring investments of around Rs 11,000 crore in Tamil Nadu, with around 7,000 jobs expected across design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly and logistics. A further Rs 1,000-crore GCC proposal, facilitated by Ernst & Young for an international company, is expected to generate more than 2,000 high-value jobs. Swedish company Sigma Technology has proposed expanding its Chennai and Tiruchirappalli GCC operations, creating 600 high-value jobs, while UK-based Wilson Power Solutions has proposed a Rs 300-crore investment in Tiruvallur with 400 jobs. An additional European auto-component company has expressed interest in investing Rs 3,000 crore in Tamil Nadu.
