BJP demands real facts on Rs 1,370 cr expansion plans of existing firms in TN

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu BJP on Thursday demanded that Industries Minister S Keerthana present "real facts" on the proposed Rs 1,370 crore expansion plans of existing South Korean companies in the state, claiming these are routine expansions and not the government's "achievement".

Claiming credit for the expansion plans of Hwashin and Seoyon in Tamil Nadu is absolutely wrong as these are routine expansions of the companies' plants that are already operating in the state, BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said.

"Presenting them as a major achievement that offsets or replaces new projects elsewhere is misleading. We don’t want reels - we want real facts," he said in a statement here.

Hwashin Co., Ltd is a South Korean automotive chassis and body components manufacturer, while Seoyon is a South Korean auto-parts maker that supplies major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Hyundai and Kia. Both companies operate local Indian subsidiaries such as Hwashin Automotive India and Seoyon E-Hwa Summit Automotive India to support carmakers in India.

In the statement, Thirupathy said in early November 2026, Hwashin, Seoyon and Iwamet signed MoUs with the Andhra Pradesh government for approximately Rs 1,614 crore to set up new manufacturing facilities in Anantapur. These projects were projected to create around 1,418 jobs altogether. Tamil Nadu had also been in discussions with the companies.

On 11 November 2026, Hwashin and Seoyon submitted Letters of Intent to the Tamil Nadu government for Rs 1,370 crore for expanding their existing plants (capacity expansion, modernisation, R&D, localisation and new business lines). No specific job numbers were announced for the Tamil Nadu expansions, he claimed.

While new plants (as in the Andhra MoUs) create fresh manufacturing capacity and jobs in a new location, expansions of existing facilities are normal and routine for companies that already operate somewhere. They still involve capital and can create some incremental jobs, but they are not equivalent to attracting new factories, he emphasised.

"Taking credit for such ordinary expansions and using them to claim that investments are not going to Andhra or that a loss has been averted is absolutely wrong. The new manufacturing capacity and the bulk of the announced jobs went to Andhra Pradesh. That is the factual position," he said.

"Minister Keerthana is trying to cover up the failure of the TVK government. Instead, she should see to it that the government must not lose any further in future investments due to its incompetence," Thirupathy further said referring to the Minister's post on X announcing Hwashin and Seoyon, long-standing partners of Tamil Nadu, reaffirming their confidence in the state with fresh investment plans of Rs 1,370 crore over the next five years.

"We are grateful for their trust. Under the leadership of Hon'ble Chief Minister Thiru C Joseph Vijay, our focus remains on building an ecosystem where businesses grow, innovate and create jobs. We welcome competition. And we have no intention of slowing down. Tamil Nadu's story is best told by those who choose to build here. We'll keep the investments coming, others are welcome to keep the commentary running," Keerthana had said.