Kuala Lumpur, Apr. 30: A former minister of the Malaysian state of Selangor has claimed that Malaysian Indian Congress President S. Sami Vellu is the person responsible for ordering the demolition of the Hindu temple in Padang Jawa.

Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, the former Selangor Mentri Besar, was quoted by the Star as saying: “I have been silent on the issue long enough. Datuk Seri (Samy Vellu) met me two days before Deepavali at the Grand Bluewave Hotel in Shah Alam. The Prime Minister was there when Samy Vellu asked me to put off the demolition of the temple in Padang Jawa in the interest of the Indian community and we stopped the exercise despite having a court order to go ahead.”

However, several days after Deepavali, he said, Samy Vellu called him at 11p. m. and told him that the temple had been infiltrated by Hindraf supporters who planned to carry out a 40-day fast and prayers there to rile up nearby residents.

“It was during this conversation that he told me that we (the state government) should move in and demolish the temple to deter Hindraf supporters from capitalising on the temple issue,” Dr Khir said.

“It is unfair for him to now blame the whole episode on me since I had only taken his suggestion as the leader representing the Indian community to carry out the demolition.”

When contacted Vellu said the temple was already “considered” as demolished when the deities were removed on Oct 30.

“How can it be a temple, when the deities had been removed. It is only a structure,” he said.

It is believed that the deities were removed after the enforcement personnel tore down the illegal extension of the temple on October 30. (ANI)