Embattled MIC president G Palanivel says he and his deputy Dr S Subramaniam will "stand-down" their row following weeks of heated debate and scuffles between warring factions in MIC.

"I do not want the party crisis to escalate," Palanivel said in a brief statement sent out this morning.

A "moratorium" would be announced, he said, and that he and Suibramaniam would discuss with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak the best way to resolve the MIC crisis.

The MIC's internal troubles arose after the Registrar of Societies rejected the party’s November 2013 leadership elections.

“This will give us a period of non-crisis to resolve the issues that have come up,” he said.

“We will meet and decide on the next course of action that will satisfy all quarters as soon as possible,” he further added.

Tempers flared up at the MIC headquarters yesterday when party vice-president M Saravanan was refused entry into the building to hold a press conference yesterday by a group of individuals aligned to party secretary-general G Kumar Aaman.

Saravanan vowed to gather supporters and march to Palanivel’s house following the latter’s lack of leadership during the crisis.