A source told FMT that the lawyer will be made a full minister.

It is understood that Waytha, who turns 52 today, will take his oath as senator tomorrow, before being sworn in as minister at Istana Negara.

Waytha made headlines in 2007 when he and several activists including his brother, rights lawyer P Uthayakumar, were involved in a massive protest by Hindraf in Kuala Lumpur to highlight the plight of the Indian community.

The protest was seen as an early catalyst for the so-called “political tsunami” in the 2008 elections, which saw Barisan Nasional (BN) losing its traditional two-third majority in Parliament.

Five years later, Waytha inked an agreement with then BN chairman Najib Razak, in a deal criticised by his brother Uthayakumar.

Following BN’s return to power in the 2013 polls, Waytha was made a senator and a deputy minister, only to resign months later in early 2014. He had then said he was disappointed that the Najib government had failed to fulfil its promise to attend to problems faced by Malaysian Indians.

Waytha has since continued his opposition to BN. Last year, he met PH chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in a move to align Hindraf with the then opposition coalition and campaigned extensively for Pakatan Harapan in the recent general elections.

Mahathir meets Waythamoorthy on possible PH-Hindraf alliance