Peeved by the alleged remarks made by Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim pertaining to minority groups, Kapar parliamentarian S Manikavasagam reminded him not to forget the past.

"I was very disappointed to read the news report that the menteri besar would not meet minority groups over the problems faced by them.

"Moreover, Pakatan Rakyat's victory in the last elections was a result of the solid support from these communities," he said in a statement today.

Manikavasagam also told Khalid that he would not have become menteri besar if not for their backing.

"As a leader, he should obtain the views of all quarters, even if they are minority groups," he said.

The PKR parliamentarian was responding to the allegation by outspoken grassroots party leader, A Thiruvenggadam that the menteri besar had said that he would not "meet any minority groups" pertaining to lack of job opportunities given to the Indians.

According to the PJ city councillor, Khalid had made the remark during a seminar for city councillors that was held in the secretariat building in Shah Alam last year.

Last week, Thiruvenggadam had lashed out at Pakatan and its administration in Selangor for continuing to marginalise the Indian community in the state, saying that it is not much different from what Barisan Nasional had done.

However, Khalid's political secretary Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad described the allegations as baseless.

Ensure that all races benefit
Meanwhile, Manikavasagam said although he has yet to verify the allegations against Khalid, he however stressed that it is incumbent on the menteri besar to ensure that all races benefit from the state.

"As a parliamentarian, I have stressed from the onset that the Indian community has equal rights under the constitution so the authorities must cease classifying it as Indian problems," he said.

As an immediate measure, Manikavasagam called on the state government to approve licences for scrap metal dealers without any hindrance.

Apart from this, he also suggested that Pakatan state governments must works towards the objective of assuring that the Indian community sees a 15 percent economic achievement in these states.

Manikavasagam has also planned a meeting with Pakatan Indian leaders and grassroots to obtain their feedback in order to craft detailed short and long-term plans.