MIC vice-president S Subramaniam has called on party members to stay away from the planned rally organised by the Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) movement on Sunday.

Subramaniam, who is human resources minister, also said that holding a rally to force a leadership change was an unhealthy political culture.

In any case, he said, even if there were people attending the rally, it did not mean that party members supported the movement.

"Having a crowd is not an indication of support. Sometimes during a by-election, when you go to a ceramah organised by the opposition, you would find a crowd of 20,000 or 30,000 people.

"Sometimes, we have a crowd of 1,000 people but it doesn't mean we are less popular nor does it mean that we must give up our present (position) just because they have a larger crowd," he told reporters after chairing the National Labour Advisory Council meeting at his ministry in Putrajaya today.

The rally is to put pressure on MIC president S Samy Vellu to relinquish his post in July this year and not in 2011 as planned.

GAS is headed by V Mugilan, the former MIC Youth deputy chief who was sacked from the party for calling on Samy Vellu to resign immediately.

Subramaniam said power transition could not take place overnight as it had to be carried out systematically, taking into consideration the party's long-term stability.

"If the act of toppling a leader through pressure from someone outside the party is allowed to become a culture, it could undermine the country's stability in many aspects," he said.

On MIC central committee member S Vell Paari's allegation that Umno had used "political assassin" to divide the MIC, Subramaniam said Umno had explained that it had nothing to do with the situation in the party.

"We accept the explanation and I hope that there will be no more of such issues after this," he said.

On calls that Vell Paari, who is Samy Vellu's son, apologise for the remark, Subramaniam said: "I think he has stated his stand on the matter."

- Bernama