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This Mrs Gandhi only wants per pension
by Sunanda Mehta in INDIAN EXPRESS dated 28th
September 2005
One of the oldest members of the GAndhi family is
battling
for her husband's pension, which the Indian
government
has forgotten to pay her for the last 30 years. She is
recovering from a hip operation in a hospital in Pune.
She
had to shift from an expensive hospital to much cheaper
Satyanand Hospital, because of financial constraints.
Shernaz Gandhi, 86
years old, and sister-in-law of the late Indira
Gandhi
and
aunt to Rajiv Gandhi, Ex-prime ministers of India
is
wanting her rightful claim. Her husband, Dorab
Gandhi,
elder brother of Firoze GAndhi (Husband of Indira
Gandhi),
was an agricultural scientist, with the Uttar
Pradesh
Government. He died in 1976. Shernaz Gandhi was
working in
a school, and so had no need for her husband's
pension,
but
now with failing health and no children to support
her,
she
needs the pension to pay for her expensive medical
bills.
She has clear memories of the Gandhi family, she
says "Indira Gandhi was very nice to me". She
changed
her
name from Sarah to Sharnaz as per the wishes of
Indira
Gandhi. She met Rajiv Gandhi before his death, when
he
had
come to meet her. There's been no contact with the
GAndhi
family since then. Because of her depleting
financial
situation, and her mounting medical bills, she
needs
her
husband's pension.
She has written to Sonia Gandhi, about her plight.
But
no
result, so far.
She does not need any pity from anybody. She has
not
used
the GANDHI surname, in order to gain anything. But
now,
she
is need of pension, which is her rightful claim.