Tapah MIC division chief joins in the Saravanan – Sivanesan spat over temple

Tapah MIC division chief S Krishna Rao took Perak Exco A Sivanesan to task for the latter’s arrogance and accusation made against MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M Saravanan.

“The language and arrogance of the statement by Sivanesan today indeed speaks volumes of his capability and capacity to articulate issues and finding solutions to it.

“Sivanesan served as the state exco from 2018-2020 and then from 2022 to now. So now I ask, have you solved all the temple issues in the state being the state exco for the last three years?

“If he can ask Datuk Seri Saravanan the question, I feel he must come out and tell us if he has solved all temple issues in Perak since he has been an exco from 2022 till now?” he said in a statement.

Yesterday Saravanan penned a poem in Tamil in which he criticised the guidelines for Hindu temples that was announced by Perak Exco, A Sivanesan.

In his rebuttal Sivanesan highlighted the case of the Sivan Tapah Hospital Temple and questioned what Saravanan had been doing especially since former MIC president Datuk Seri S Subramaniam was a Health Minister.

Sivanesan also said that it would be best to flush the poem in the toilet.

Krishna Rao also pointed out that Sivanesan overlooked the fact that Saravanan has been raising the issue of the Sivan Tapah Hospital Temple since 2011 the latter was deputy federal territories minister.

He also attached a letter as evidence.

“Saravanan has on numerous occasion reminded subsequent Health Ministers on the plight of the temple and pushed for the Ministry to come to a decision on the issue.

“Sivanesan, for one should investigate an issue thoroughly before blurting claims and accusations and being the state exco, I am indeed surprised and flabbergasted by his lack of knowledge on the temple issue.

“This is even worse as he is supposed to be in-charge of issuing guidelines for setting up of Hindu temples in the state in the future.”

‘Flush your ego in the toilet, first’

In a related development, MIC strategy officer Datuk R Thinalan told Sivanesan to flush his ego in the toilet.

“Instead of demanding Saravanan to flush his words, perhaps Sivanesan should flush out his own ego, reflect on his poor leadership, and start behaving like a true people’s representative.”

He said Sivanesan’s call to “flush his poem in the toilet” was is a reflection of the latter’s character.

“When a leader resorts to toilet humour in a serious discussion about Hindu temples, it is not only immature, it is deeply disrespectful to the sensitivities of the Indian community.

“Had Sivanesan taken a moment to read beyond his echo chamber, he would have realised that Saravanan’s poem was an expression of the growing frustration among Hindus over the arbitrary issuance of Section 425 notices and the anxiety surrounding the future of temples that have stood for generations.”

Thinalan questioned the lack of engagement with temple committees and sudden criminalisation of longstanding places of worship that is happening.

He also defended MIC’s record of the past.

“MIC leaders once held ministerial positions—but unlike the current trend of issuing threat notices, they defended temples, worked to regularise them, and fought for land titles.

“What they never did was turn temple caretakers into criminals overnight.

“If Sivanesan truly cared, he would be engaging stakeholders and providing solutions, not issuing sarcastic media statements and insulting sentiments.”

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