"I challenge Palanivel to make a statutory declaration" - Saravanan

Datuk M. Saravanan has challenged MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel to make a statutory declaration (SD) that no party branches had been established illegally since the 2013 party elections.

“I’m challenging the president. Make the statutory declaration if he dares,” said Saravanan when commenting on the Registrar of Societies’ (RoS) findings that several illegal party branches had taken part in the MIC presidency, division and central working committee (CWC) elections.

The MIC vice-president also criticised Palanivel’s threat to take legal action against the RoS.

“What is a Cabinet Minister doing dragging his own government agency to court?

“We do not support Palanivel’s intention to bring the case to court,” Saravanan told a press conference at party headquarters today.

The Tapah MP also denied that meetings held by the interim 2009 CWC were invalid, as alleged by several quarters.

“The RoS had stated that the interim CWC is valid; this had always been the directive.

“Meetings held within the MIC are not illegal, the committee is only abiding by the RoS’ instructions,” said Saravanan.

He said the committee had met for the first time on Feb 13. A second meeting will soon follow, he added.