Power turns the screw on Palani

NGO threatens to lodge report with the MACC if the MIC chief does not come clean on Dr S Vijendran's employment status.

PETALING JAYA: An NGO is pressuring MIC President G Palanivel to reveal the employment status of Dr S Vijendran, who has allegedly been passing himself off as the former’s political secretary.

“Palanivel said he would give Dr S Vijendran a week to resign. The Indian community wants to know if the man has been removed from office,” said S Gobi Krishan, chairman of the People’s Welfare and Rights Organisation (Power).

“It’s been already more than a week since he told us that he would ask Dr S Vijendran to quit. If Palanivel does not come out with an official statement, Power will lodge a report with the police and MACC,” he added.

In a reply to Gobi Krishnan recently, Palanivel who is the lead Minister of Indian Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Department, said that he had asked Vijendran to resign within a week.

A Tamil daily questioned his appointment to the post, claiming that Vijendran was a bankrupt. According to documents shown to FMT, the Department of Insolvency had declared Vijendran a bankrupt on March 1, 2011.

‘Resignation letter sent’

Subsequent to the report in the Tamil paper, Vijendran clarified that he was a private secretary to Palanivel, not his political secretary. He also denied that he was a bankrupt.

MIC observes questioned Vijendran’s right to distribute name cards indicating his position as political secretary when he has not taken the oath of secrecy before the prime minister.

Meanwhile, in a related matter a party source claimed that Vijendran has already sent his resignation letter to Prime Minister’s Department.

Talking on the condition of anonymity, he said the prime minister has received Vijendran’s resignation letter. However, he said was not aware when he submitted the letter.

“But, Vijendran is still working in Palanivel’s office where his salary is paid by Palanivel himself,” he said.

FMT has been unable to obtain a clarification from Vijendran.