GEORGE TOWN: Former DAP leader Dr P. Ramasamy has 'thanked' Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for calling him a racist.
Speaking to the New Straits Times, Ramasamy said the fact that Dr Mahathir responded to him showed that he had done the right thing.
"Coming from Dr Mahathir, this must be a compliment. It takes a bigger, more intensive racist to call another racist," he said in response to Dr Mahathir calling him a racist.
Ramasamy had yesterday criticised Dr Mahathir following the latter's remarks made in an interview with Thanthi TV, an Indian TV channel, aired on Jan 11.
The two-time prime minister during the interview had questioned the loyalty of Indians and Chinese, saying that they were "not completely loyal" to Malaysia.
However, Dr Mahathir today hit back, questioning Ramasamy's act of calling him a racist when the latter had left DAP to form an Indian-based party.
Ramasamy, in response said he left DAP as it was a "fake" multiracial party.
He said his new party, United for the Rights of Malaysians (Urimai), of which he is interim council president, is an Indian-based party but was open to all.
"Urimai is about the rights of Malaysians. It is about the Indian working class community which had been denied and forgotten.
"I am not like Dr Mahathir who fights only for the rich. I don't care about the rich. My fight is for the poor. Urimai is all about a class-oriented party," he added.