The feud in the country’s newest political party, Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party (MMSP), worsened today as a central committee member is set to file a multi-million-ringgit defamation suit against party boss RS Thanenthiran over an alleged slander.

MMSP national political, strategy and election bureau head S Sanjeeviramah said he could not stomach the verbal lashing meted out by Thanenthiran against him and two other party members when they went to the president’s home on Dec 24.

hindraf penang utusan pc 061008 sanjeeviramah Sanjeeviramah ( photo, right ), who is also known as Sanjay, has already lodged two police reports over the past week against Thanenthiran ( photo, left ) over the alleged verbal assault.

In his reports, Sanjeeviramah said he, CC member R Kogilavani and Penang MMSP Youth leader K Appana went to Thanenthiran’s home in Bagan Jermal, Butterworth to deliver a letter calling for his resignation as party president.

The letter was apparently prepared by a rival party faction following an emergency CC meeting on Dec 19, in which a motion of no-confidence was passed by 14 of 15 attending CC members against Thanenthiran’s leadership.

“He scolded us using vulgar words and chased us out. He even called us dogs. I have audio recording of the incident,” Sanjeeviramah alleged in his reports.

Tit-for-tat police reports

Apparently, Thanenthiran had also lodged a counter report a week ago claiming that Sanjeeviramah had threatened his life if he refused to step down as president.

Thanenthiran has denied uttering slanderous remarks against Sanjeeviramah or any other party members.

But Sanjeeviramah has since countered Thanenthiran’s allegation in his follow-up report, claiming that the MMSP president was lying.

He said his legal counsel was finalising the necessary paper work to file the multi-million-ringgit suit against Thanenthiran.

“His vulgarity and sarcastic remarks were uncalled for and unwarranted. It was un-president-like behaviour,” he told Malaysiakini.

Sanjeeviramah, once a close ally of Thanenthiran, said the rival faction would hold a party extraordinary general meeting (EGM) by the month’s end to oust the president.

“Since Thanenthiran has defied a motion of no-confidence to resign as MMSP president, we will hold the EGM, as decided by last month’s emergency CC meeting, this month,” he said.

Under the party constitution, he said the party needed nine of the 27-member CC members to support a call for EGM.

He claimed the rival faction had secured the unanimous support on the matter from the attending CC members at the emergency meeting.

Rival faction mobilises members for EGM

Sanjeeviramah, who’s also MMSP Penang branch deputy chairperson, said the rival faction had launched a nationwide drive to woo at least 4,000 members to attend the EGM on a date to be decided soon.

Under the party constitution, he said the party needed one-third of its 12,000 members to attend for an eligible quorum to oust the president and hold fresh polls to fill up the vacant post.

“We are confident we can achieve our target,” he said.

He hinted that the rival faction would also apply other form of pressure on Thanenthiran to resign as president.

Sanjeeviramah said a demonstration would be held in two weeks’ time outside MMSP headquarters in Shah Alam to call on the president to quit.

The anti-Thanenthiran group plans to mobilise some 1,000 members to attend the protest. Thanenthiran could not be reached for comment despite numerous calls.