MIC deputy president M Saravanan has denied being a part of Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu’s recent India trip to meet chicken egg suppliers.
Saravanan (above, centre), however, confirmed he was on the same flight to India as Mohamad, as seen in several photographs published by a blog and recirculated by news portal MalaysiaNow on Friday.
“This (trip) happened sometime in January. I went to India for prayers and I happened to bump into the minister and the other gentleman,” Saravanan told Malaysiakini today, in reference to controversial businessperson Deepak Jaikishan who was also seen in the photographs.
“They have limited buggies so at the (Chennai) airport after landing, we all had to share the same buggy because the walkway is a bit far.
“I went (to India) for prayers, I don’t know if they went for some official matters. It was just a coincidence, that’s all,” said the former minister.
Mohamad’s India trip came under scrutiny following questions over the government contract to a sole company for the supply of eggs from the country.
On Saturday, Bersatu leader Azmin Ali claimed the Anwar Ibrahim-led government had awarded the project to import eggs from India to Deepak, a known vocal critic of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.
In his speech at a Perikatan Nasional (PN) ceramah in Kuala Lumpur, the former senior minister also alleged that the contract was given through direct negotiation, against the new government’s pledge to end such a practice for government projects.
Azmin further claimed the eggs Deepak imported from India were given a government exemption from having to undergo food safety checks.
In response, J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd - the sole importer of eggs from India - today denied both allegations.
Instead, the company said it had requested permission from the government to import eggs from India to address a severe shortage in the market and was given a temporary approval effective until June 2023.
In its statement, the company made no mention of the purported Deepak connection and checks with the Companies Commission found that the carpet trader’s name was not listed as a shareholder or director in the firm. - Mkini
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