I will personally chair the meeting if Palanivel doesn't - Saravanan

MIC vice-president Datuk M. Saravanan said he will not hesitate to chair a special meeting to discuss the party’s predicament following RoS’s call for a re-election, if party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel does not do it.

“If he doesn’t, then I will gather a group of 15 people and then we can have the meeting. Don’t forget, with 15 central committee members, we can hold a meeting,” he told reporters after a meeting with RoS (Registrar of Societies) today.

Saravanan said MIC has been given an extension of up to 120 days by the RoS to resolve issues involving the 2013 party election.

Saravanan, however, stressed that he still respects the president and will invite him and the deputy president Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam to the proposed meeting.

“If he does not want, I can still get 15 CWC members and if that also fails, then I will get 40 division chiefs for the special meeting,” he stressed.

Saravanan also expressed his unhappiness over Palanivel’s decision to meet the RoS with lawyers who were not endorsed by the party.

“I was sad and shocked when I found out that Palanivel had come to meet RoS with Barath Maniam and a lawyer named Chandra,” he said.

“I don’t know who Chandra is. If he had come as a friend, then there is no issue but if he came as a lawyer, he made a huge mistake because there is no mandate from the party or congress,” he added.

He said Palanivel had also gone back on his words where he was reported to have promised to meet the RoS together with Dr Subramaniam for clarification.

On Dec 5, 2014, MIC had been ordered by RoS to conduct fresh elections for its 23 CWC and the three vice-president positions within 90 days following an alleged misconduct and breach of party constitution and Society Act.

On Saturday, MIC's former strategic director Datuk Seri S.Vell Paari slammed Datuk Kumar Silambaram's appointment as secretary-general, replacing A.Prakash Rao.

Palanivel had also replaced Vell Paari, who is the son for former MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, with Ramalingam Krishnamoorthy.