An high-profile event featuring Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in London was cancelled on Tuesday (UK Time) due to ‘safety’ concerns, news agency PTI reported.
Hundreds of fans had gathered outside London’s tallest building, The Shard, to catch a glimpse of actor-turned . But to their utter disappointment, the event was called off after the intervened, citing safety concerns, news agency PTI reported.
The event could not be held due to safety concerns raised after an overwhelming crowd showed up at the upscale venue to meet the chief minister. “For public safety concerns, we are calling off the programme because we don’t have permission due to safety concerns,” a member of the chief minister’s team announced over a loudspeaker.
“London is absolutely chaotic to try and catch a glimpse of Vijay. The whole of london bridge/ shard area is packed. The locals are wondering what the hell is going on. Very hard for security and officials to contain right now,” an eye witness wrote on X with a video
Shangri-La The Shard, London, is a luxury five-star hotel occupying floors 34-52 of Western Europe’s .
Some of the fans had queued for hours for the event organised by TVK’s UK chapter. “I think it’s reasonable but all of these people have been waiting. This is hardly the kind of crowds we see in ,” a young fan, who had been camped at the actor-turned-politician’s hotel for hours, was quoted as saying by the news agency.
Vijay is leading a state delegation to the UK to attract investments into Tamil Nadu.
CM Vijay’s high-profile UK itinerary, which included a visit to the Silverstone motor racing circuit in England, where he met actor and racer Ajith Kumar, drew sharp criticism from opposition parties, which questioned whether the trip was primarily aimed at securing investments for the state.
Vijay is scheduled to conclude his UK tour and return to India on Wednesday.
Earlier, the AIADMK took a swipe at Tamil Nadu chief minister over his visit to London to attract investment, questioning the need for such an overseas trip at taxpayers’ expense.
Earlier, the Chief Minister’s Office said the delegation had signed multiple memoranda of Understanding involving investments worth around ₹12,300 crore during the visit.
The investment drive, aimed at positioning Tamil Nadu as Asia’s advanced manufacturing and technology hub, is expected to generate more than 9,400 high-value jobs across the state.
The party pointed out that a company established in India in 1986 and headquartered in Noida was among the businesses involved, raising questions about the rationale for Vijay travelling to the UK to .
On Monday, Vijay highlighted a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in London between Ltd and Guidance, Tamil Nadu, for an investment of approximately ₹11,000 crore in the state.
(With agency inputs)
