President of Indian Progressive Front
After expulsion from the Malaysian Indian Congress, Pandithan tried to return to the party but was unsuccessful and in August 1990, he formed the All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front (IPF).
The new party supported the opposition coalition Gagasan Rakyat in the Oct 21, 1990, general elections. He contested and lost the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat.
However, he later had a change of heart and tried unsuccessfully to get IPF admitted into the Barisan Nasional in 1994 and the following year quit the opposition coalition to pledge support to Barisan. However, his attempt to join Barisan was blocked by Samy Vellu and MIC. Pandithan had to be content by lending outside support to Barisan.
In September 1995, then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad made Pandithan a senator in the Dewan Negara in recognition of the IPF’s support and contributions to Barisan Nasional.
Read more about this topic: M. G. Pandithan
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