The statue of Indian philosopher Thiruvalluvar at a Tamil school in Negeri Sembilan was not covered up on the instruction of the state government, but to "protect" its new coat of paint.

A spokesperson for SJK (T) Ladang Shanghai in Mambau told news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT) that there was no instruction by the state government to cover up the statue before a visit to the school by Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan today, as alleged in social media posts.

"We covered the statue because we had just repainted it. We wanted to protect it because we were constructing the stage for the event," the spokesperson, who refused to be named, told the portal.

He also showed FMT a picture of the repainted statue of Thiruvalluvar, the author of classic Tamil literature Thirukkural, and said the school has since uncovered the statue and urged people to stop spreading rumours.

Thirukkural consists of 1330 couplets of "kurals", dealing with the everyday virtues of an individual. It is one of the most widely translated non-religious works in the world, with translations in at least 40 languages, as of 2014.

The alleged cover-up of the statue was first highlighted by a Negeri Sembilan PKR leader, who claimed that the statue was removed due to the directive.

A before and after composite photo was also circulated on social media, the latter of which showed the statue allegedly covered up under a canopy surrounded by flags.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy had also commented on the matter, citing the incident as an example of the rise of religious extremism in the country.

He had questioned what was so "offensive" about Thiruvalluvar, who was not even a religious figure.

The Perai assemblyperson further slammed the Negeri Sembilan MIC, as well as the school teachers and the headmaster, for allegedly keeping mum on the issue.