“We are staying with BN for now,” he said at a press conference at the party’s headquarters today.

Asked if this meant ruling out joining Perikatan Nasional, Saravanan said: “No, I’m not saying that.”

He said developments within PN required the party to reassess its position.

Saravanan said MIC had not rejected PN outright, noting that earlier discussions took place under a different leadership.

PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar was appointed PN chairman last month, taking over from Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, who stepped down in January.

“PN has undergone some changes. It was led by Bersatu when we made the enquiry. Now it is led by PAS,” said Saravanan.

“We not only need to check with our grassroots, but we also must understand the sentiment of the Indian community if we are to join a PAS-led coalition.

“Now that there is a change in leadership, we must reconnect with the grassroots and the Indian community to ensure their support if we decide to take a different direction.”

He said the party would revisit the matter once feedback had been gathered.

Asked whether MIC would remain in BN until the end of the current parliamentary term, Saravanan said the situation could still change.

“You never know. For now, the status quo remains,” he said.

He said the party was maintaining communication with all sides.

Saravanan’s remarks come a week after he rubbished claims by PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan that the party had officially joined the coalition.

Talk of MIC leaving BN had been ongoing for some time, especially after the party’s general assembly in November, when delegates gave the leadership the mandate to consider such a move amid dissatisfaction over the party’s role and relevance.