Beginning today Jalan Berhala in the Brickfields area in Kuala Lumpur will be known as Jalan K Ramanathan Chettiar and a part of it as Jalan MG Pandithan, said Federal Territories Deputy Minister M Saravanan.

He said the names were taken after the third MIC president K Ramanathan Chettiar and former IPF president Pandithan.

"After Jalan Brickfields was changed to Jalan Tun Sambanthan, after the fifth MIC president, 27 years ago now Jalan Berhala's name is being changed," Saravanan said at a news conference today.

He said the name change was made with the agreement of Kuala Lumpur City Hall and was part of efforts to make the area as 'Little India'.

Meanwhile, Saravanan who is also the MIC information chief, called on certain quarters not to be involved in the leadership of the party as members were mature enough to make decisions.

He was responding to media reports today that 12 leaders of non-governmental organisations and various strata of the Indian community urging MIC president S Samy Vellu to make changes in the leadership to restore the party's stature in the

Barisan Nasional.

A representative of the group, T Vyran Raj, said feedback from the Indian community throughout the country mostly revealed that change in the MIC can only come about after Samy Vellu and leaders aligned to him withdrew.

- Bernama