MIC headquarters sending out B Form for branch elections - Saravanan

The MIC headquarters is sending out the B Form to party branches to enable them to hold their annual meetings and elections, MIC vice-president Datuk M. Saravanan said here today.

He said the branches which received the form could issue the election nomination papers on July 10, 11 and 12.

The elections, at the estimated 3,400 branches, are scheduled to be held a week later.

Saravanan said if there was no contest after nomination, the branch head would be declared duly elected and it was needless to hold a general meeting.

He spoke at a news conference after launching the chili fertigation project of the New Affirmative Action Movement (NAAM) Foundation here. NAAM, founded by Saravanan, helps boost the economy of Indian youths.

Asked on the distribution of the B Form to branches by Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, Saravanan, who is deputy youth and sports minister, said Palanivel was no longer the MIC president and a member as per the party constitution.

Palanivel was reported to have effectively sacked himself from MIC when he violated the party constitution by taking legal action against the RoS order for the party to hold fresh polls, thus allowing deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam to be the acting president.

"If he (Palanivel) wants to have the branch elections, the branches will be illegal. How can a non-member conduct a meeting?" said Saravanan, who is the MP for Tapah.

He said the branch chairmen and committee members were mature enough to make their own evaluations.

On the chili fertigation project, Saravanan said 109 entrepreneurs were involved in the first phase of the project on 44.1 hectares.

He also said that 350 entrepreneurs had registered to participate in the second phase and attend a course as well.

The NAAM Foundation had set the target to create many youths skilled in agriculture that could bring them high returns, he said.