Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 2 : AIADMK National Spokesperson Kovai Sathyan on Tuesday launched a scathing attack against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, accusing him of "wasting taxpayers' money" by going on overseas trips.
The remarks came amid Stalin's visit to Germany as part of his two-nation tour for the 'TNRising Germany Investment Conclave'.
The AIADMK leader alleged that the chief minister's visit brought no real benefit to the state and merely served as an "advertisement exercise" by the ruling DMK.
"A classic example of how to waste taxpayers' money by the Chief Minister is what M K Stalin has demonstrated with his Germany trip, the company, where they have signed MoUs over 3000 crore. That company has been in operation in India for the last 32 years. ...they have an R D facility here, with operations in Haryana and Mumbai, a company which is present in India," Sathyan told ANI.
He questioned the need for Stalin's visit to Germany when the company already had operations in India. Sathyan alleged that the DMK-led government was misleading people by projecting such trips as big achievements.
Sathyan said, "Fifteen months ago, they (DMK-led government) hosted a global investor meet, which, in that global investor meet, was a big failure. This is an advertisement exercise, the usual advertisement exercise by DMK style. This incompetence of the highest standard is costing the common man."
He also demanded transparency on the Chief Minister's frequent foreign visits. "What happened to the white paper we sought on all his foreign family trips, the family trip to Dubai, a family trip to Japan, a family trip to America, now a family trip to Germany? Where is a white paper? But what is the status of the white paper on the global investors, which we asked from the government but they insist not to release those," Sathyan added.
Stalin announced that 26 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 7,020 crore were signed, which will aim to create over 15,000 new jobs in the state.
The Chief Minister concluded his visit to the 'TNRising Germany Investment Conclave' on Tuesday.
In a post on X, Stalin said, "The Germany leg of my overseas investment mission concludes on a strong note. At the #TNRising Germany Investment Conclave, 23 MoUs worth Rs. 3,819 crore were signed, set to generate over 9,000 jobs. Global leaders across renewable energy, automotive components and advanced R&D have chosen Tamil Nadu for their next phase of growth. In total, 26 MoUs worth Rs. 7,020 crore have been signed during the Germany visit, set to generate over 15,000 jobs in Tamil Nadu."
During his Germany visit, the Chief Minister also met with senior executives of BMW Group. Discussions focused on Tamil Nadu's strong position in the automotive and EV sectors. The Chief Minister invited BMW to scale up its operations in the state. BMW leaders reaffirmed their long-term commitment to Tamil Nadu, citing the state's robust EV infrastructure and the company's established Indian footprint, as per a press statement.