Indira wants to go into business, says MIC

Wanita chief Mohana says kindergarten teacher in custody battle wants to become financially independen

PETALING JAYA: Kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi, the mother fighting an interfaith legal battle to keep her children, is working towards financial independence by becoming a businesswoman.

MIC Wanita leader Mohana Muniandy, relating this to FMT, said Indira was “doing fine”, despite the difficultties she has faced in her six-year struggle.

Indira is seeking to quash the unilateral conversion of her three children by her former husband, K Pathmanaban, who converted to Islam and took the name Muhammad Riduan Abdullah.

He also took away their baby daughter Prasana Diksa, then 11 months old.

Indira’s two children, Tevi Darsiny, 18 and Karan Dinish, 17 are with her but she has no knowledge about Prasana’s whereabouts.

Mohana said Indira was a strong woman who wants to work towards becoming financially independent. “When she is financially independent, she has one thing less to worry about. She’ll be stronger mentally,” Mohana told FMT.

She said the MIC women’s wing had been giving Indira advice on ventures she could explore.

She said Indira was happy that many have come forward to help her out.

The Court of Appeal late last year overturned a High Court decision which had quashed the children’s conversion. The appeal court held that the conversion issue could only be decided by the syariah court.

Mohana said many people, including MIC Wanita members, had been paying regular visits to help Indira get back on her feet.

Mohana saluted DAP’s M Kulasegaran, the MP for Ipoh Barat, for taking on Indira’s case pro-bono. She said she had no qualms about working with Kula despite him being on the other side of politics.

More hands, she explained, would help ease his burden all these years.

Mohana said that, as a mother herself, she could relate to Indira’s plight. “It is truly important to put aside political differences as it is a human rights issue,” she said, adding that many other politicians from both sides of the fence had offered to help Indira.