10 under probe by MIC panel

The party's disciplinary committee will watch them for two months before deciding on any action.

PETALING JAYA: The MIC disciplinary committee will keep 10 members under surveillance for two months before deciding whether they deserve to be suspended or expelled from the party.

The committee’s chairman, KS Nijhar, said this today without disclosing the names of the 10 or saying why they were being monitored.

However, sources inside the disciplinary committee told FMT that the 10 had been issuing press statements criticising MIC president G Palanivel over alleged irregularities in party elections last November. Most of them were divisional and national leaders, they added.

“In fact, their statements were all directed against the president, but the constitution states that action can be taken only if they have said anything detrimental to the party,” said one source.

“So, the disciplinary committee construed criticisms against the president and statements on the running of the internal polls in November last year as statements detrimental to the party.

“This two-month period is just to ensure they keep their mouths shut. If they keep silent for the next two months, they will be let off. By that time, calls for a re-election would have died down.

“The party leadership is just buying time and hoping that with time these leaders will go silent and stop asking questions about the running of the election.”

Nijhar told FMT the committee met for three hours today at the MIC headquarters here.

“Ten cases were discussed and no final decision was taken,” he said in a text message.

“The disciplinary committee will meet again in about two months’ time to finalise if any disciplinary action should be taken against any of them and whether they should be expelled from the party or suspended for a specific time period.

“The names are confidential until a final decision is made.”

The other members of the committee are party secretary-general A Prakash Rao, Perak MIC chief R Ganesan, Kedah MIC chief S Ganesan and Central Working Committee member Randhir Singh Johl.

Earlier, there was speculation that the committee would be issuing show-cause letters to leaders who had openly criticised the running of the November polls.

Several leaders, including former treasurer-general Jaspal Singh and former youth chiefs SA Vignesvaran and T Mohan, had asked the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to direct the party to hold a re-election.

They had also urged the party leadership to do the same.

Last week, former Puteri MIC chief Usha Nandhini added her voice to the criticism, lodging a report with ROS in which she complained that the party had yet to conduct elections for its Puteri wing.