MIC president S.Samy Velly has taken to task "upper class Indians" in the country who are bent on criticising the party but do little to help the community.

"These people talk big but do little to help the poor Indians. When we embark on some projects to help the community, they get angry and influence others not to support us," he was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying today.

Samy Vellu said this attitude was very much evident in the on-going fund raising drive for the party's Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST) which is currently being developed in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

"These rich Indians have not contributed a single sen and also ask others not to give. If we don't help ourselves, who is going to help us," he said at a fund raising dinner for the AIMST organised by three MIC branches here in Ipoh, Perak last night.

Samy Vellu said he was not building the AIMST for his own glory but to help poor Indian students who were denied places in local public universities.

Helping students with loans

He said this year, only 1,750 of the 7,500 Indian students who applied were given places in the local universities.

"Those who didn't get a place have to enrol in private colleges or go overseas. For medical courses, they have to go to India, Russia or Indonesia and this costs a lot," he added.

Samy Vellu said the party's education arm had received application from hundreds of students for loans totalling RM9 million.

"We don't have that much money, so we borrowed from banks with interest at 8.5 per cent or more. But we ask the students to pay back at six per cent interest," he added.

He said AIMST would provide enough places for Indian students to undergo professional courses at affordable rates.