Rebel MIC man refuses to back down

VT Rajen says he will push ahead with the Gerakan Anti-Palanivel if the president does not steer clear of existing parliament seats.

KUALA LUMPUR: Combative MIC branch chairman VT Rajen has insisted that he will form the Gerakan Anti-Palanivel (GAP) movement despite receiving a recent show-cause letter from the party leadership.

In a press statement, the Taman Mujur branch chairman said the GAP movement will be mooted if party president G Palanivel refused to steer clear of contesting in MIC’s four Parliament seats.

“I received the show-cause letter on Sunday and I will reply to the letter,” he said.

“My concern is very simple, do not disturb the incumbents. Let’s give them another chance to defend their constituencies,” he added.

MIC’s four MPs are deputy president and Human Resource Minister Dr S Subramaniam (Segamat) vice-presidents and deputy ministers SK Devamany (Cameron Highlands) and M Saravanan (Tapah); and P Kamalanathan (Hulu Selangor).

According to Rajen, the four MPs are the real “winnable candidates”.

“They won the seats despite the political tsunami and we should appreciate them and should preserve them in their respective constituencies,” he said.

‘This is a democratic party’
Rajen also rubbished a statement by certain party members that the president has the right to choose the seat which he wished to contest.

“MIC is a democratic party where the president cannot act like a dictator. As president, he should strengthen the party first instead of seeking positions,” he added.

Meanwhile, Gadong Kecil branch chairman M Karunanidhi refused to apologise for calling on Palanivel to resign.

“There is no reason to apologise to the party,” he told FMT.

Karunanidhi, who received a show-cause letter on Feb 8, said that he would not respond to it.

“Palanivel has been MIC’s Selangor state chief for more than 10 years and MIC lost all its seats in the state in the last election.

“While his own state (Selangor) is in tatters, he is now planning to rejuvenate MIC’s strength in Perak,” he added.

Karunanidhi said he attempted to call the president, who has taken over the Perak MIC chief post last week, several times but the latter could not be reached, forcing him to turn to the media.