Bernama reported MIC vice-president T Murugiah as saying that Palanivel, 76, died at 8am.

Palanivel, a former Cameron Highlands MP, joined MIC as an ordinary member in 1968.

He took over the leadership of the party when long-serving president S Samy Vellu stepped down in 2010 after helming MIC for 31 years.

The Penang-born Palanivel served as minister in the Prime Minister’s Department from August 2011 to May 2013, and natural resources and environment minister from May 2013 to July 2015.

He also held deputy ministerial positions in the rural development ministry (1999-2004), women, family and community development ministry (2004-2009), and plantation industries and commodities ministry (2009-2011).

Apart from serving as Cameron Highlands MP from 2013 to 2018, he was also the Hulu Selangor MP from 1990 to 2008.

He ceased to be an MIC member after taking a leadership tussle with then MIC deputy president Dr S Subramaniam to court in 2015.