KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 (Bernama) — The MIC is planning to form strategic alliances with political parties abroad, including India’s ruling Congress Party, MIC Youth advisor S. Vell Paari said.

For a start, Vell Paari said he has held discussions with a key leader of the Congress Party and member of Parliament V. Narayanasamy in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu recently.

He said Narayanasamy, a minister of state and an elected member of the Central Working Committee, the Congress Party’s highest decision-making body, was excited with the proposal to have stronger links with the MIC.

“He (Narayanasamy) has asked that the MIC put the proposal in writing so that he could take it up with his Congress Party,” Vell Paari said in a statement.

Vell Paari, who is also the son of MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and chairman of the party’s unity and community development committee, said he would seek the endorsement of the MIC CWC before holding further discussions with other leaders of the Congress Party.

He said his proposal to the MIC CWC would also include setting up of the party’s representative office in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and New Delhi.

He said he would also invite Rahul Gandhi, who is the son of Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress Party, to Malaysia soon in his capacity as the general secretary and the Youth leader of the Congress Party to address the Indian youths.

Vell Paari said the MIC had close ties with the Congress Party before, especially at the beginning of the MIC’s inception in 1946.

“In fact, it (MIC) was an overseas chapter of the Congress Party then (in 1946). So, we are actually re-establishing ties with the Congress Party but this time it is more for economic cooperation to benefit Malaysia, especially the Indian community,” he said.

Vell Paari said through the MIC-Congress Party cooperation, more joint ventures between Malaysian Indians businessmen and their Indian counterpart could be worked out.

“There is enormous potential to be tapped with this cooperation, especially for the benefit of the Indian community in Malaysia,” he said, adding that after India, the MIC would initiate links with political parties from countries with a sizeable number of people of Indian origin.

There are currently 25 million people of Indian origin spread over 130 countries.

Source: BERNAMA

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