By IANS
Kuala Lumpur : A senior Malaysian minister warned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi that he should “lay off” after the he voiced concern over the harsh police action against ethnic Tamils in that country.
Minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s office Nazri Aziz warned Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Karunanidhi Wednesday to keep out of Malaysian politics.
“This has got nothing to do with him … lay off,” said Nazri.
In a response to Karunanidhi’s statement that he was very pained over the treatment meted out to Tamils, Aziz said he should “worry” about his own state, which has problems, and not about the happenings in Malaysia, the New Straits Times reported.
“His place is in Tamil Nadu, not Malaysia. He should worry about his own state. His own state has got problems,” Nazri said.
On Sunday over 10,000 ethnic Indians protested here, demanding more access to jobs, education, health and against the “systematic destruction” of Hindu temples in the country.
The protesters also marched in support of a $4 trillion lawsuit filed in London in August by Hindraf, a Malaysia-based Hindu rights group, demanding that Britain compensate Malaysian Indians for bringing their ancestors to the country as indentured labourers and exploiting them.
The police had detained over 240 ethnic Indians for participating in the rally.
The Indian community in Malaysia has all along alleged that access to housing, education, financial loans and jobs is given to Malays on a preferential basis.
The destruction of Hindu temples by the Malaysian government has added to their grievances.
Ethnic Indians constitute eight percent of the total population of 27 million, but they control just 1.5 percent of the economy.