A meeting between Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and former MIC deputy president S Subramaniam has set the grapevines abuzz.

The talk in MIC circles is that Subramaniam met the premier to engineer his political comeback. There was also speculation that he negotiated for a seat in the coming general election.

However, a source close to the former MIC deputy president described the Sept 14 meeting at the prime minister's office in Putrajaya as nothing more than "casual".

"He (Subramaniam) went there to invite the prime minister for his Deepavali open house and to discuss some party matters," he told Malaysiakini today.

According to the source, Subramaniam seeks an appointment with the PM periodically to discuss current affairs.

Drastic moves

On the rumours of a political comeback, the source said Subramaniam is aware that unless he makes a drastic move, like form a new a party or join an existing one, the prospects are bleak.

"He is not in the right age to start a new party and with the general election so close, it would be impossible to make any headway (if he does start a party).

"Furthermore, he has always been a pro-BN (Barisan Nasional) man. The PM and DPM still attend his open houses and he does not wish to jeopardise this relationship or cause problems," he said.

However, the source said Subramaniam could make a comeback if the government made a move to retain him in active politics.

It is learnt that the fracas at the Maika Holdings annual meet on Aug 30 was also raised during the meeting with Abdullah.

During the Maika meeting, Subramaniam, 62, was roughed up when he wanted to air his views. He later lodged a police report on the incident.

Maika Holdings, the debt-ridden investment arm of MIC, is helmed by Vell Paari, the son of MIC president S Samy Vellu.

Samy's camp unhappy

Subramaniam and Samy Vellu have been at loggerheads over the past two decades. The feud culminated in the former's defeat in last year's MIC polls to the president's choice for the number two slot, G Palanivel.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Subramaniam's meeting with Abdullah had raised eyebrows among the party president's men.

According to a party insider, Samy Vellu and his men were "not happy" about the meeting but ruled out the possibility of any action being taken against Subramaniam who is still a MIC member.

"They know if they expel him (from the party), they will give him clout. They will do what is necessary to prevent him from making a comeback using the backdoor," he added.

Prior to the door closing on his political career, Subramaniam was once the deputy trade and consumer affairs minister and also the MP for Segamat, Johor.