Indrani steps into Samy-Subra row

By Baradan Kuppusamy

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 — Datin Seri Indrani Samy Vellu has joined the fray in her husband’s damaging feud with Datuk S. Subramaniam by calling on the former MIC deputy president and his supporters to leave the party if they were unhappy.

It is an idea — leaving MIC — that Subramaniam and his supporters are toying with as the power realignment in the MIC is changing dramatically with his rival and MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel tipped to contest in the upcoming Hulu Selangor by-election.

If Palanivel emerges victorious he returns to the MIC politically strengthened to claim the president’s mantel from the retiring Samy Vellu to the exclusion of rivals like Subramaniam who has aimed to be president for a long-time but without success.

The doors to that ambition would close permanently for Subramaniam if Palanivel is nominated candidate and wins.

Indrani, without directly naming Subramaniam, said in a long article in the Tamil Nesanaccused her husband’s rival of being the hidden hand behind criticism and attacks on her husband from the time of Tan Sri V. Manicavasagam who once groomed Subramaniam to take over as party president.

She said the attacks started from that time and has been continuing unabated.

She accused the Makkal Osai Tamil daily that is controlled by Subramaniam’s group, of vicious attacks to the extent of dragging her and her family into the mud and tarnishing their image.

“This has been going on from the time of Manicavasagam,” she said.

In an immediate reaction K P Samy, a Klang businessman and diehard support of Subramaniam,  told The Malaysian Insider that Indrani had “no business” to tell “us to leave the MIC.”

“She is neither a MIC leader nor the party president. She can’t make such statements,” he said.

Samy however refused to deny that Subramaniam’s camp was considering “political options” in the wake of the Hulu Selangor by-election and its significance for MIC’s power alignment.

“We might en-masse migrate from MIC,” he said. “This is a possibility we have to discuss in depth.”

Despite strong support from Manicavasagam, Subramaniam lost to Samy Vellu in the fight for the deputy president’s post in 1977.

Samy Vellu won by 26 votes but allegations surfaced later that his ally Datuk V. Govindaraj had pocketed 30 votes during the counting to give Samy Vellu the edge against Subramaniam.

In September 2009 Govindaraj admitted to cheating and apologised but Samy Vellu denied that such an incident had happened.

Subramaniam suffered another setback in 1979 when Manicavasagam unexpectedly died and power in the MIC shifted to Samy Vellu, the acting president.

All attempts by Subramaniam, since then, to unseat Samy Vellu has failed and the final act is now being played out in the Hulu Selangor by-election.

Indrani said Samy Vellu’s rivals have been harassing him for years and without mercy.

There are concerns that their feud is damaging Palanivel’s chances in Hulu Selangor and giving ammunition to opponents to attack Barisan Nasional in the campaign.

On Thursday Tamil Nesan CEO S. Vell Paari instructed his editorial team to “refrain from taking pot-shots at any individual”, in an apparent reference to recent articles in the Tamil Nesan accusing Subramaniam of fielding independents in the by-election to split BN votes.

Vell Paari, who is also MIC Youth advisor, said he decided to call for a truce so that his paper could focus on ensuring BN’s victory in Hulu Selangor.

His statement follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s announcement that an MIC candidate would be fielded in the constituency after weeks of speculation.

“The Hulu Selangor by-election is our priority now. Winning this by-election will ensure the party remains relevant,” Vell Paari sa