Sivarraajh issued the challenge in response to Ramasamy’s criticisms of MIC’s hypocrisy with its “sudden appearance” at an eviction of Indian villagers in Ijok, Selangor while ignoring most issues affecting Indians in the country.
In a statement, Sivarraajh slammed Ramasamy, who is Penang Deputy Chief Minister II, accusing him of being “the biggest failure” the Indian community could have.
He said Ramasamy had failed to defend the interests of the community citing the Kampung Buah Pala issue. Kampung Buah Pala, a predominantly Indian village in Penang, was demolished in 2009 for development despite appeals by residents.
Later, a settlement was reached to agreeing parties where a RM600,000 bungalow was given to each family.
“It was because of the MIC’s intervention and protest in Kampung Buah Pala that the residents there were compensated,” he said, adding if the issue had been left to Ramasamy to handle, the villagers would have ended up homeless.
Sivarraajh also hit back at Ramasamy’s questioning of MIC’s role in the recent desecration of statues of deities at a temple in Ipoh, saying MIC was there from the start, making the necessary arrangements with the Perak state government.
“I advise Ramasamy to at least come down to the ground and ‘actually’ serve instead of just sitting on his laurels issuing statements condemning MIC,” he said, adding MIC had been fundamental in the development of the Indian community for the past 60 years.
Sivarraajh, however, doubted Ramasamy would take up his challenge for a debate and urged the DAP veteran to handover his Deputy Chief Minister position to party colleague M Kulasegaran.
“At least Kulasegaran has the courtesy of engaging with MIC with a sole purpose of serving the Indian community compared with Ramasamy, who is a mere publicity freak and the biggest failure to the Indian community.”
Yesterday, Ramasamy said MIC’s springing into action over the Ijok eviction issue was selective and smacked of hypocrisy, when the Barisan Nasional component party had ignored most issues plaguing the Indian community.