The Selangor state government has blamed the Indian community’s lack of initiative for the delay in implementing the Hindu Cultural Centre project in Batu Caves.

Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said that his government has allocated RM20 million for the project but has yet to receive any feed back from community leaders or the Batu Caves temple committee, headed by R Nadarajah.

“I have given them the freedom to decide on how they wish to conceive the cultural centre, according to their needs and the state government has allocated RM 20 million for the project.

“If the state government is to implement the project without consulting the Indian-Malaysian community, they would say the government is unfair,” said Khir when contacted by Malaysiakini .

He was commenting to a recent protest by some 100 Indian-Malaysians from the Batu Caves area over the delay in the project.

These protesters claimed that Khir and his government’s three-year-old promise to build the Hindu Cultural Centre (said to be built within the vicinity of the Batu Cave temple on a 20 acre land) has not been fulfilled.

Khir explained that the reason why the project was yet to be implemented was because he has not received any proposals regarding the cultural centre from the Indian-Malaysian community.

He denied press reports which quoted Nadarajah as saying that the temple had submitted a blueprint and proposal to Khir on Jan 4 ( photo ).

Khir said he was shocked to discover that the proposal submitted by Nadarajah was actually a proposal of merely landscape alterations for the Batu Caves temple and not the blueprint for the cultural centre.

“So why accuse me of lying? You ( Selangor Indian-Malaysian community) give the proposal, we will study it and if approved, it will be implemented immediately,” said Khir.

Nadarajah, when contacted, said that he was unwell and could not comment on the matter.

Khir: PKR’s desperate ploy

As for the 100 local residents who protested over the delay in the project, Khir believed the event did not reflect the opinions of majority of the Selangor residents.

“Most of the protesters were PKR supporters. They are just desperately trying to manipulate the situation to gain support. I suggest they get their facts right,” he said.

To counter allegations that the delay in the project was racially motivated, Khir argued that his government has implemented the Chinese and Malay cultural centres respectively.

Khir said both the Chinese and Malay cultural centres are currently undergoing development though he could not elaborate on the details.