With ethnic Tamils under attack in Malaysia, the Centre on Friday told the Rajya Sabha that New Delhi was taking up the issue with Kuala Lumpur.
"The matter is being taken up through diplomatic channels," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachouri told the House during Zero Hour.
He was responding to the concerns of members who took strong exception to a senior Malaysian minister asking Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to 'lay off' from the happenings in that country.
Terming as condemnable the ill-treatment being meted out to ethnic Tamils, Pachouri said that after the matter was taken up with the Malaysian authorities, the External Affairs Minister would make a statement in the House.
Raising the issue, R Shanmugasundaram of the DMK drew the attention of the government to the statement of the Malaysian minister about Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister. "This is highly condemnable as the Malaysian minister has no business to talk like this. The government of India should take appropriate action," he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party member S S Ahluwalia demanded that the Malaysian envoy to India should be called to explain.
Congress leader B S Gnanadesikan expressed serious anguish over the manner in which the chief minister was snubbed by the Malaysian minister. He was joined by his party colleague V Narayanaswamy.