DMK slams CM Vijay's official trip to UK: 'Gone to see car race of friend Ajith'; TVK defends with ‘Brand Tamil Nadu’

The DMK criticised Vijay’s UK visit after he attended Ajith Kumar’s Silverstone race, while the TVK defended their meeting as part of Brand Tamil Nadu.

Published on: Sep 13, 2026, 17:03:46 IST

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The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) criticised Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s visit to the United Kingdom after he attended actor-racer Ajith Kumar’s Le Mans Cup race at Silverstone, questioning the purpose of the trip.

Vijay was in the UK as part of an official visit, reportedly aimed at attracting foreign investment and studying sports infrastructure for Tamil Nadu’s proposed Motor Sports City near Chennai. During the visit, he waved the ceremonial green flag to start the Michelin Le Mans Cup race on Saturday, in which Ajith competed with his team.

DMK slams Vijay's UK trip

DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan questioned Vijay’s stated investment agenda and said, “He said that he is going to receive investment from London. But everybody saw that he had gone to see the car race of his friend Ajith,” according to .

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DMK MLA Markandeyan also criticised the Chief Minister’s UK visit, referring to issues concerning farmers and fishermen in Tamil Nadu and questioning the urgency of attracting investments at the moment.

TVK defends CM Vijay

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), however, defended Vijay’s meeting with Ajith. Party spokesperson Americai V Narayanan said there was nothing improper about Vijay meeting a friend during an official visit. He said Ajith was a major star in Tamil Nadu and an important figure in the international racing circuit, adding that Vijay’s presence could contribute to “Brand Tamil Nadu”.

The controversy came after videos from Silverstone showed Vijay meeting Ajith before the race. As reported on , Vijay ran towards Ajith and hugged him, while Ajith personally welcomed the Chief Minister at the venue. The video of the reunion went viral on social media.

Ajith later thanked Vijay for attending the race and said they had been colleagues in the film industry for 34 years. He also expressed hope that India, particularly Chennai, could host events similar to the Le Mans series in the future. As reported on , Ajith praised Vijay’s interest in promoting sports and studying the infrastructure required to host such events.

Vijay’s appearance also attracted attention from international commentators. Commentators compared the combined stardom of Vijay and Ajith to Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Fans shared the clip widely and celebrated the two stars appearing together.

Actor Trisha Krishnan and TVK minister Aadhav Arjuna were also present at the race. Trisha was spotted with Vijay and Ajith before the race and later watched the event from the stands with Vijay and Aadhav.

According to , Vijay’s UK visit also included plans to study motorsport infrastructure and sports facilities for Tamil Nadu’s proposed Motor Sports City near Chennai. The project is expected to build on the state’s automobile and electric vehicle manufacturing ecosystem, with a focus on motorsport, sports tourism, technology and entertainment.

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