- Vigneswaran: I am loyal to party

"Moreover, Article 47 states that all elected leaders shall stay in office for three years. Nowhere in the constitution does it say that a youth leader must leave when he reaches his 41st birthday," he said.

On Friday, MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam was quoted as saying that the party's constitution clearly stated that a youth leader or a member in the youth wing should not exceed the age of 40.

"This means that when they reach their 41st birthday, they need to vacate their positions in the youth wing," Dr Subramaniam, who is Human Resources Minister, had said.
However, a central working committee (CWC) member had commented that although the constitution was unclear on the age ruling, it had been decided at a CWC meeting in 2001 that everyone in the youth wing should vacate their posts on reaching 41.

Some members believed that the move to ask Vigneswaran to vacate his post was politically motivated. They claimed it was initiated by party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to "kill off" Vigneswaran.

Vigneswaran, who used to be Samy Vellu's blue-eyed boy, was said to have fallen out of favour with the president. A source said the rift between the two could have started over the selection of the candidate for the Ijok by-election last year.

Others said Vigneswaran was aligned to deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel and was unhappy over former deputy Datuk S. Subramaniam making a comeback.

It is said that Vigneswaran had hoped that Palanivel would become the next party president and he would be the deputy. With Subramaniam back in mainstream politics, his hopes had been dashed.

Sources claimed that Vigneswaran was upset as there was no clear plan of succession and there had been confusion among members following the return of Subramaniam.

He was also said to have instigated "Jumbo" Maniam and Alex Thiagarasan to question Samy Vellu.

Vigneswaran said the rumour could have started because he was against the expulsion of "Jumbo" Maniam. "Jumbo" and Alex, whom he had recruited into MIC from the People's Progressive Party (PPP) years ago, are also friends.

Denying all the accusations hurled at him, Vigneswaran said he had always been a party loyalist.

He also denied being involved with a rumoured Makkal Sakthi-linked rally aimed at pressuring Samy Vellu to step down.

Vigneswaran said if he was going against Samy Vellu, he did not need the support of Makkal Sakthi.

"I have my own force but I am not willing to do it because I am loyal to the party," he said, adding that his suspicion was that someone from within MIC was trying get him into trouble.

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2008/06/23

A big no-show at 'MIC protest'

NST

KUALA LUMPUR: The police and members of the media made up the crowd of a bungled rally in front of the MIC headquarters on Saturday.

Some 30 traffic, riot and plain-clothes policemen had cordoned off the road in front of the headquarters by 8am as a mass rally was rumoured to take place there.

The police and media were informed about the protest rally, said to be organised by Makkal Shakti on Friday via fax and text messages.

It was said that some 10,000 people would gather to protest against the leadership of party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

As reporters and cameramen arrived, curious on-lookers slowed their vehicles while few members of the public gathered by the road side.
Fifteen supporters turned up at 9am and left shortly after that when they realised the absence of protesters.

One of them, Apparao Ramadu, 50, from Kajang said he had learnt about the rally through a friend, who is a MIC member.