Speculation over a possible meeting between Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay during Anwar’s upcoming visit to India has been put to rest, with Vijay set to leave for Europe on an official tour, as reported in Malaysian Indian Today.
Vijay has departed from Chennai on September 10 for a week-long trade and investment mission to European countries, beginning with London. He is expected to return to India on 17 September 2026, leaving no scope for a meeting with Anwar during the Malaysian Prime Minister’s India visit for the BRICS Summit.
The possibility of a meeting had gained attention after Malaysian and Indian media reports suggested that Anwar could make a stopover in Chennai during his India visit and that Vijay might postpone his European tour to receive him.
However, Vijay is proceeding with the scheduled overseas tour, which is aimed at finalising investment agreements for Tamil Nadu.
Anwar’s Revised Itinerary
With Vijay set to be away from Tamil Nadu, reports indicate that Anwar has dropped the proposed Chennai stopover from his itinerary.
After his engagements at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Anwar is expected to travel to Kerala before proceeding to the Maldives and then returning to Malaysia.
The speculation over a possible Chennai meeting had gained significance in the context of the growing political and diplomatic engagement between Anwar’s government and Vijay.
After Vijay became Chief Minister, Anwar publicly congratulated him on social media. Subsequently, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of National Unity R. Yuneswaran visited Chennai and handed over an official congratulatory letter from Anwar to Vijay.
Rajinikanth Precedent
A meeting between a Malaysian Prime Minister and a prominent Tamil film personality in Chennai also has a precedent.
In 2017, then Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak visited Chennai during an official trip to India and met actor Rajinikanth.
The high-profile meeting was seen at the time as having political significance, particularly given Malaysia’s sizeable Tamil population and the approaching 2018 general election. Najib’s Barisan Nasional coalition, however, subsequently lost the election.
Vijay’s transition from a film star to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has similarly made his interactions with Malaysian political leaders a matter of interest, particularly because of the state’s historical and cultural links with Malaysia.
For now, however, Vijay’s European investment tour means that the much-speculated meeting between him and Anwar will not take place during the Malaysian Prime Minister’s current India visit.
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