KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 31): Barisan Nasional chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been forced to intervene to resolve the leadership woes in MIC.

Speaking after chairing the first Umno Supreme Council meeting in 2015, Najib said yesterday he and his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, would try to find the best formula to resolve the BN component party’s problems.

Last Thursday, MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said he agreed to a moratorium to allow discussions with Najib to resolve the worsening situation in the party.

"MIC is an important partner in Barisan Nasional. We need an MIC that is strong and can help us in all aspects," Najib was reported as saying by national news agency Bernama after chairing the Umno Supreme Council meeting.

"We will look for the best formula," said Najib.

The infighting broke out after the Registrar of Societies (RoS) found irregularities in the party polls in December 2013 and ordered it to conduct fresh elections.

The RoS directive had sparked fears that failure to conduct fresh polls would result in the party's deregistration.

Problems also rose after president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel removed several MIC state leaders – a move seen by his critics as an attempt to further consolidate his hold on the party.

In the changes to state party chiefs, MIC vice-president Datuk M. Saravanan was replaced as Federal Territory state liaison committee chairman with Datuk Rajoo Vyraperumal, while Tan Sri Ramasamy Muthusamy took over from Palanivel as Perak chief.

Datuk Ganesan Arumugam was named as new Negri Sembilan state liaison committee chief, taking over from Datuk S. Sothinathan.

Subramaniam and Saravanan have been urging Palanivel to respond to the RoS findings that the elections of its central working committee members in 2013 were problematic and that fresh polls should be held.

Palanivel has been accused of stalling by both, but the MIC chief has insisted he was doing his best to resolve the situation.

Samy Vellu, now the special envoy for infrastructure to India and South Asia, said he would only start mediation if requested by Najib.

"Since I am the immediate past president, I do not want to comment about the conflict because if I do, it will become a big issue. Let them resolve the conflict on their own," Samy Vellu was quoted as saying by Bernama.