BN component parties, especially MIC and Gerakan, seem hesitant about former PPP Youth leader T Murugiah joining them.

"If I was a member of PPP then it is logical for a BN component party to avoid me but now I am party-less, so why the reluctance?" asked a puzzled Murugiah, who is also the deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of public complaints.

He was responding to MIC president S Samy Vellu who was allegedly reported as saying that it would not be fair to take in members into MIC from other BN component parties.

According to Murugiah, there is a verbal mutual agreement between the component parties of BN not to take in each other's members, after Samy Vellu had complained that he was unhappy with MIC members crossing over to PPP.

There was speculation that Murugiah, after knocking on the doors of several BN parties including those in Sabah and Sarawak, has decided to finally opt to join either Gerakan or MIC.

NONE Murugiah ( right ) claimed his supporters are equally divided on him joining Gerakan or MIC.

"I am not setting conditions for a post in joining either of the parties. Being an ordinary party member will be enough to build my political career," reasoned the young leader.

"I think that BN must give moral support to every component party member to remain within BN to further strengthen the coalition for the coming general election," argued the former PPP Youth leader.

But the indication is that Murugiah may opt for MIC which is Indian-based rather than go for Gerakan which has a Chinese majority although the party claims to be multi-racial.

The politician said he will leave it to Premier Najib Abdul Razak to decide which political party he should join.

Seen as an up-and-coming leader

It has been speculated that Najib sees Murugiah as an up-and-coming Indian leader who can influence the Indian youth to support BN once again after the devastating political tsunami of 2008 which saw the Indian vote swing to the opposition.

Murugiah was speaking to the media today in Ipoh, after attending to a complaint by a Chinese woman that the high road shoulder along Jalan Pasir Puteh had collapsed and damaged her car that was parked below it.

If these two political parties are not prepared to take him, he said, then he is prepared to become a member of the BN Club which non-members of BN component parties can join.

As to the alleged fears of BN parties that he is a rebel and can cause trouble if he taken in, Murugiah rubbished the allegation, saying that he had never rebelled against his former PPP chief M Kayveas.

He claimed that he was unfairly dismissed from the party without a valid reason, which was why he did not appeal against his dismissal.

He alleged that it was his party supporters who had orchestrated the EGM in 2009 and made him the president. The EGM was later declared illegal by the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

NONE He then took ROS to court but later withdrew the case after alleged pressure from BN leaders.

As to his claim that he has 210,000 supporters, Murugiah said the figure is correct and he has given the complete list of them to Najib.

As to the question of forming a new party if all political avenues are closed to him, Murugiah brushed aside the suggestion, saying: "It is ridiculous for the Indian community of 1.8 million to have eight Indian parties, and I do not want to further split the community with another one."