The Gerakan Anti-Samy (GAS) has accused the MIC of pressuring Umno to block the movement's planned gathering at Putra World Trade Centre this Sunday forcing it to look for another venue.

GAS spokesperson KP Samy said the Umno-owned PWTC had requested the movement to consider alternative venues, following accusations by MIC leaders that Umno was backing GAS.

gas pc mic 270510 kp samy kumar amaan "PWTC was worried over the allegations. Because of political pressure, they requested us to consider another venue," he said.

This evening, another GAS spokesperson, V Mugilan, said GAS planned to shift their rally on Sunday.

"Due to unforeseen circumstance, the booking of PWTC has been cancelled and as such I am calling for a press conference tomorrow on the change of venue and exposure of an important matter," said Mugilan in a statement.

GAS plans to rally 10,000 people on Sunday to pressure MIC president S Samy Vellu to step down.

In recent days, MIC leaders have been publicly accusing Umno of backing GAS to further their own ends of creating rifts in MIC.

According to KP Samy, MIC leaders had pressured Umno to tell PWTC to not rent their premises to GAS and for the police to not issue a permit for the rally.

‘We will not back down’

GAS leaders earlier today vowed that the gathering will be held regardless of whether they secure PWTC's 8,000 capacity Dewan Merdeka.

"We may have to fall back on Plan B. We can gather in front of PWTC, MIC headquarters or even at the Batu Caves temple. We will not back down from our struggle.

"If they were to create more obstacles for us, the Indian community's anger towards (the MIC leadership) will intensify," said Mugilan.

Mugilan, KP Samy and G Kumar Amaan were sacked by MIC president S Samy Vellu last week for demanding that the latter to step down immediately and not Sept 2011 as planned. They claim his continued tenure was a liability to BN.

KP Samy and Kumar Amaan were both elected central working committee members while Mugilan was the party’s youth wing deputy chief.

‘Vell Paari should be sacked'

Meanwhile, KP Samy took a swipe at Samy Vellu for claiming that his son Vell Paari's recent statements do not reflect those of the party.

Among others, Vell Paari had claimed that Umno was employing "political assassins" to dethrone his father.

"He is the son of the party president, appointed CWC member and he is talking about politics. What does Samy Vellu mean that Vell Paari's comments do not reflect the party?" asked KP Samy.

He added that Vell Paari, who was apparently unilaterally appointed to the CWC by the party president, should be sacked from the party for issuing statements detrimental to the BN coalition.

"We get the ‘sack letter', but Vell Paari gets the love letter," he said.

On Vell Paari' statement that he would resign from all party posts once Samy Vellu steps down, KP Samy said this was insincere.

"Then why do you want to be CWC member for one year and six months? What for?.. The day he was appointed CWC member, all the problems began," he said.