Several Indian grassroots leaders in DAP want the party to reinvigorate its non-functioning Indian affairs bureau at both national and state levels.

They said the bureau would be crucial for the party to forge close ties with the working-class Indians, who make up the bulk of the community's votes in the country.

They called on NONE party national chairperson Karpal Singh ( right ) to take the initiatives to revive the bureau.

"Only Karpal can revive it . . . we don't trust others," they said.

Negri Sembilan's Paroi branch deputy chairperson P Jeganath said previously that the bureau played a pivotal role in drawing up electoral strategies to woo Indian voters for the party.

He recalled that during the late P Patto's era, the bureau had also helped the party to develop Indian leaders.

"Many Indians joined DAP and formed Indian branches due to the presence of Karpal, Patto and the late V David," he said.

However, he said since achieving unprecedented electoral success in 2008's general election, the party's Indian elected representatives, especially newcomers, have discarded the bureau and Indian members.

Johor-based Bandar Baru Selesa Jaya youth leader J Jason alleged that the party's new breed of Indian elected representatives have disregarded the contributions and sacrifices made by long-serving Indian grassroots leaders and members.

He said the Indian representatives should have used the bureau to mobilise Indian members and strengthen Indian political standings within the party.

"Instead, they just dumped the bureau and refused to recognise its existence.

"The elected representatives cast off senior Indian members and preferred to have newcomers, who owed them undivided loyalty and political allegiance.

"They want only ‘Yes-men' around them to protect personal, not party, interests," lamented Jason.

Another grassroots leader, Penang's Bagan Luar branch chief G Asoghan, said that due to negligence, many long-serving DAP grassroots Indian leaders and members, being disillusioned, lapsed into inactivity.

He said these grassroots Indian leaders were the ones who worked and sacrificed for the party all the while.

"Some even ended up in jail and beaten up by police for the party.

"But now they are heartbroken after being ignored and neglected following last election success," he told Malaysiakini .

Does not augur well

He said this does not augur well for the future of the party.

Bukit Mas branch secretary S Vijaiyan from Seremban foresees the party facing an uphill task in winning over Indian votes in the next general election.

He said Indian elected representatives prefer to stay aloof from the grassroots and work solo than as a collective unit with grassroots Indian leaders and members.

However, he suggested that by reviving the bureau, the DAP could re-energise and rejuvenate its policies and strategies to reach out to the Indian community.

He said NONE the bureau would be the key link to bridge the gap between the DAP and Indian-based organisations, including Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

He recalled that close cooperation among DAP Indian members and Hindraf was among the main factors that galvanised overwhelming Indian support for DAP in the last general election, and further said that success cannot be repeated in the next round under the current political scenario, given that the party's popularity among Indians was on a downslide.

Thus, he said it was crucial to revive the bureau for DAP to halt its ailing impression among Indian voters, especially after the Kampung Buah Pala fiasco.

In immediate response, DAP vice-chairperson M Kulasegaran acknowledged that the relationship between elected reps and Indian grassroots was not good in the party.

He cited a lack of strong grassroots background among the new breed of Indian reps as one of the reasons for ignorance and negligence of long serving grassroots Indian members.

He said he had personally heard the members' complaints when he organised a convention for Indian members in Ipoh a few months ago.

"I was also a target for their complaints.

"But I have no qualms over it because I acknowledged that there are some problems.

"I should have done better," said Kulasegaran, the Ipoh Barat parliamentarian.

He plans to initiate more gatherings and meetings with grassroots Indian members to resolve the problem soon.