KUALA LUMPUR: Eyebrows were raised at the MIC Selangor Youth annual general meeting on Friday when key leaders Datuk G. Palanivel and S.A. Vikneswaran failed to turn up.

Palanivel is the state MIC chief while Vikneswaran is the national Youth chief.

Vikneswaran missed the meeting because of a death in his family but members were unhappy with Palanivel's absence as the meeting, originally scheduled for today, was brought forward to Friday to accommodate him.

Office-bearers were informed at the last minute that Palanivel had decided to attend the Malacca MIC meeting instead.

"If you can't be bothered to attend your own state AGM, what is the point of him being the state chief?" asked a Selangor member.

"Why is the Malacca AGM more important than your own AGM?"

However, it is understood that Palanivel was also a no-show in Malacca.

Party sources say that Palanivel had been avoiding public meetings to avoid questions on the failure of Selangor MIC and his failure to defend the Hulu Selangor seat.

Party member A.P. Vadivelu said: "He wanted the youth to campaign for him at the 2006 party elections but now he has abandoned them."

Selangor Youth chief P. Subramaniam, in his speech at the AGM, said former Selangor menteri besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo was the reason for MIC's failure in the state.

Subramaniam said the Padang Jawa temple demolition under Dr Mohd Khir's instruction was the main reason for the party's defeat.

He added that Dr Mohd Khir's decision to award brooms to under-performing civil servants also led to many of them voting for the opposition