MIC parliamentarian K Devamany will have to meet Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for breaking ranks over the rally organised by the Hindu Action Rights Force (Hindraf).

Yesterday, the Cameron Highlands MP told the Dewan Rakyat that government policies had failed the Indian community and their disgruntlement was reflected in the rally.

Speaking at a press conference at the Parliament lobby today, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said Devamany is scheduled to meet Najib, who is the Barisan Nasional (BN) chief whip, on Thursday.

Asked why Devamany needs to meet the chief whip when as a backbencher he is entitled to speak his mind, Nazri said: "In a news report, MIC president S Samy Vellu denied that the party has not done anything for the Indians. So which party does Devamany associate himself with?"

"If he refutes (Samy's statement), the honourable thing for him to do is to disassociate himself from that 'useless Indian party'," he said, adding that MIC will always remain as a strong partner in BN.

Nazri further explained that he had viewed the Handsard and in his opinion, there was a break of ranks in what Devamany had said in the Dewan Rakyat.

Heroes or BN?

Asked if punishing the MIC leader would turn him into a hero for the Indian community, the minister responded that those who flout the rules must face the music.

"Should we let Robin Hood off the hook just because he is a hero. He robbed the rich and gave to the poor but he was still breaking the law.

"Should we encourage people to be popular among the community by breaking ranks? Or should we consider the welfare of the whole BN?"

Apart from this, Nazri said Devamany also broke ranks when he said that 50,000 people had participated in Sunday's rally.

"Maybe he should disassociate himself from the party (MIC) and join a newly formed party, which I believe is in need of a deputy chief," he said, referring to the Malaysian Indian United Party (MIUP) formed by S Nallakarupan.

He also castigated Devamany for placing MIC in a difficult position and urged him to stand by the majority of Indians who did not take part in the rally.

"We have a MIC MP refuting the party's stand on several issues. It is serious," he stressed.

Absent minded

Meanwhile, Samy Vellu, when met at the Parliament lobby later, said Devamany was just absent minded when he claimed that 50,000 people took part in the rally.

"If it was really 50,000, they would have filled the whole of Kuala Lumpur. Statistics released by the police stated that only 4,000 people participated in the rally," he said.

"Policy failure is different from not doing enough. We (all parties) are not doing enough and that's what he (Devamany) meant," he added.

Opposition politicians also commented on Devamany's remarks in the House. This is what they said.

Parliamentary Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang:

Devamany tried to make amends in Parliament yesterday after belittling the Hindraf demonstrators on Al Jazeera on Sunday.

I accord on him to apologise for what he said on Sunday to show that he is genuine and not an opportunist.

Devamany must also make a stand now. He must either stand up for what he said in Parliament yesterday or go back to his statement in Al Jazeera.

Is he going to be consistent and say that the Hindraf rally must be given recognition as the legitimate articulation of the grievances of the Indian community? Or is he going to bow to Nazri and stick to his earlier statement in Al Jazeera?

I call on (MIC president) S Samy Vellu and all MIC MPs to make a stand. They must respond to the gathering. They must not prove that they are impotent, useless and utterly irrelevant.

M Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat):

Devamany contradicted himself by calling Indians who participated in the rally as gangsters in the Al Jazeera interview and coming to Parliament the next day and saying that government policies have failed.

He must either apologise to the Indians or make it very clear that government policies and benefits have not reached the Indian community.