Behave or face the music, Palani told

Branch leader threatens MIC chief with a Gerakan-Anti Palanivel if he continues to abuse his position for political mileage.

KLANG: MIC president G Palanivel has been warned against usurping incumbents from their current constituencies. If he insists on pursuing this path, then an anti-Palani campaign will be mooted, said a branch chairman.

VT Rajen, the Taman Mujur branch chairman, said that he would launch a Gerakan-Anti Palanivel (GAP) if the party chieftain continues to abuse his position for political mileage.

Rajen said that Palani had betrayed party members by holding a secret meeting with the Cameron Highlands Umno division chief, allegedly to topple incumbent SK Devamany.

“In the history of the party, no MIC chief has ever tried to surreptitiously do a number on his own men,” Rajen told FMT.

Devamany, who is also a MIC vice-president, is a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department’s Economic Planning Unit.

Palanivel was taken to task by Rajen for keeping mum when Cameron Highlands Umno leaders were criticising Devamany in the media the past week.

Cameron Highlands Umno Youth and its Puteri wing urged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to drop Devamany from the resort district and to replace him with Palanivel.

“Irrespective of the prime minister’s decision, Palanivel must stand solidly behind Devamany and defend his man instead of letting others destroy him and tarnish MIC’s reputation.

“As party president, he should not allow outsiders to offer advice or dictate terms on the internal affairs of the MIC,” said Rajen.

‘Contest in Sungai Siput, Palani’

Rajen insisted that MIC must retain its incumbent MPs in their respective constituencies as it was the desire of members to see those who succeeded in the last election retained.

Besides Devamany, MIC holds three parliamentary seats, with party deputy president Dr S Subramaniam in Segamat, M Saravanan in Tapah and P Kamalanathan in Hulu Selangor.

Rajen also suggested that Palanivel contest in Sungai Siput if the latter really wants to prove his mettle in the next general election.

“Sungai Siput has always been a bastion of past MIC presidents like Tun Sambanthan and S Samy Vellu and Palanivel should maintain the tradition.”

Rumours have been rife since last year that Palanivel was keen on contesting in 13th general election despite speculation that Najib wanted the MIC president to stay out of the race.

Apart from Cameron Highlands, it is learnt that Palanivel is also eyeing the Padang Serai and Kuala Selangor Parliamentary seats.