PETALING JAYA: The bitter feud between MIC president S Samy Vellu and his former deputy S Subramaniam often spilled onto the pages of the respective Tamil dailies linked to them.
There are three dailies in the ring, the Samy Vellu family-owned Tamil Nesan in one corner, the Subramaniam-owned Makkal Osai and pro-Subramaniam Malaysia Nanban in the other.
In recent months, the slugfest was reduced to personal jibes, name calling and the using of unsavoury language causing an uproar in the Indian community.
Even Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had reminded the dailies not to ovsertep the boundaries and the mud slinging had since shifted into low gear.
Speaking to FMT on this, Samy Vellu's son Vell Paari, who oversees Nesan's operations, pointed the finger at the rivals.
According to him, it was Osai and Nanban which had started the ball rolling downhill.
During the height of the K Sujatha issue, Vell Paari said both dailies, especially Osai, had run a series of articles which broke all journalistic ethics.
“They wrote horrible things about me and my family... everyone was happy reading about this then, so why do they complain about Nesan doing the same now?” he asked.
“I was patient at first. But then, they wrote about my mother,” he said.
'We were pushed against the wall'
Vell Paari claimed that Osai had run an article stating that he would be charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for “murder” in relation to Sujatha's death and if found guilty, he would be hanged.
“The article said that my mother was running around town, with her hair let down, like a 'mad woman', searching for shamans to save me. How could they say such things about my mother?” he said.
“When they kept pushing us, there was a point we were against the wall so we had to come back clawing. We gave them a taste of their own medicine,” he added.
Vell Paari said even when the inquest into Sujatha's death had ruled that he was innocent, Osai had continued to “twist and turn” the story.
Sujatha, a former actress, had worked for Vell Paari in his capacity as chief executive officer of Maika Holdings.
Continuing his tirade, the MIC central working committee member said the two dailies had always been unethical in their reporting about the party and his family.
“How long could we be quiet? We had complained to them, we went to the Home Ministry but nothing happened. There was no reasoning with them. So we decided to talk in their language.
“There is no point now in crying who let the dogs out, they had let the dogs out. There is a difference between writing news articles and concocting stories,” he said.
'My heart is heavy'
However, Vell Paari conceded that he was saddened that the situation had deteriorated to such a low point.
“I agree, this is not good journalism. I am aware of this, and my heart is heavy, but we had no choice, we had to hit back. But we have stopped now. We just wanted them to know that we could play the same game as well,” he said.
Vell Paari stressed that he had no issues with those who were critical about his father, him or MIC but noted that decorum must be maintained.
Citing a recent example, he accused one of the dailies of deliberately “cutting out” MIC Youth chief T Mohan from a photograph regarding a news report on a building opened by the latter in Puchong.
“Even the opposition maintains a sense of decorum. We have our differences but they are confined to the political arena. We do not get personal,” he said.
'Sue us if you want'
Meanwhile, Vell Paari defended Nesan's editor Tamil Mani, and quashed rumours that the latter was suspended following a police report lodged against him by former MIC member G Kumar Amman.
He said Tamil Mani had applied for two weeks leave since he had been working without a break and his son's wedding was around the corner.
“If Kumar is upset with what the editor wrote, then he should sue Tamil Nesan and we are prepared to face him in court,” he said, adding that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Kumar, a former CWC member, was one of the three MIC leaders given the boot by Samy Vellu for openly calling on him to step down as president.
Following this, the three, including former Youth deputy chief V Mugilan and former CWC member KP Samy, went on to form the Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu or GAS.
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