Speaking at an event to honour the 133rd birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar Jayanthi here today, Anwar said such criticism would only be justified if he had failed to do anything to support the Indian community.

He stressed that any assistance for the Indian community extends beyond that provided by the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra).

“The solution to the problems of the Indians is not only through Mitra. Other than Mitra, we also have Tekun, in which we allocated RM30 million just for the Indians (micro-entrepreneurs).

“There is also Amanah Ikhtiar, which I set up decades ago for the very poor Malays. And now in 2024, we have allocated RM50 million specifically for the Indian community,” he said in his speech.

According to Anwar, the Indian community in Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan received the most assistance in proportion to their population.

“My priority has always been to put an end to poverty and for that, I won’t look at what race you are,” he said.

Last month, a government senator urged Anwar to show his commitment to uplifting the socio-economic status of Indians by providing 2,500 matriculation seats for the community.

C Sivaraj said Anwar should not fear losing support from the Malays as it was common knowledge that the Indian community lagged far behind and needed such assistance.

“I wish to remind him that as prime minister, he must give fair and equitable treatment to all races. I am sure that even the Chinese and Malay communities will be happy if the prime minister helps the Indian community.”

In his speech at the event today, Anwar also said he was compelled to clarify such points amid claims that “nothing has been done” when it comes to helping the Indian community.

“The government will work hard to address the issues raised by the Indian community,” he said.