Padang Serai MP: I've not been told to resign for Anwar to contest

PKR's Padang Serai MP M Karupaiya (above) has denied claims that he has been instructed to vacate the seat for the party's president-elect Anwar Ibrahim.

“No. I have not received such instructions from Anwar or others. This is just propaganda to confuse PKR members in Padang Serai.

“I have met Anwar several times of late. He never asked me to resign,” he told Malaysiakini.

Speculation that Karupaiya would vacate the seat has been making the rounds on social media following Anwar's statement that he plans to return to Parliament by October through a by-election.

Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan de facto leader, had reiterated this in an interview with Asian Nikkei Review on Tuesday.

Karupaiya, who is a first-term MP, believes that the PKR leadership would not ask him to vacate the seat because he is the sole Indian leader from the party to win a parliament seat in Kedah.

The MP, who is also the Padang Serai division leader in Kedah, did not discount the possibility that the rumour of him relinquishing his post is linked to the upcoming party polls.

“Perhaps this is a propaganda to tarnish my credibility with regard to defending my division post.

“They (detractors) may have spread this message to give the impression that I am not eligible to be the division leader because I am willing to resign (as an MP),” he added.

Following the May 9 general election, PKR has 50 parliament seats, which is the highest number among Pakatan Harapan's four parties. - Mkini