Will always remain Indian, says Sania Mirza: Who said what on Telangana controversy

Senior BJP legislator K Laxman sparked a controversy today when he objected to renowned tennis player Sania Mirza being appointed Telangana brand ambassador by the TRS government. Laxman’s objection was based on the argument that she was now a “daughter-in-law of Pakistan” because of her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. [caption id=“attachment_1632329” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sania Mirza was appointed Telangana ambassador by TRS. AFP[/caption] Laxman, had on Wednesday, accused the government of taking the step with an eye on the minority community votes in the upcoming elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. His comments sparked a series of political reactions, some critical and some supportive. Here is a look at some of them: K Laxman (BJP): Sania Mirza was born in Maharashtra. She was brought-up by her parents in Hyderabad. Then, she married a Pakistani. How can a non-local become Telangana ambassador? She is not the only person who has brought national glory. There are many natives who had brought glory to the nation. She has disrespected the national flag earlier at Olympics. Feelings of Telangana community will be hurt if Sania Mirza is appointed state ambassador. Sania Mirza: It hurts me that so much precious time of prominent politicians and the media is being wasted on a petty issue. Precious time should be spent on solving the more urgent issues. I’m an Indian, who will remain an Indian until end of my life. My family belongs to Hyderabad for more than a century & I strongly condemn any attempts by any person to brand me an outsider. Manish Tewari (Congress): Sania Mirza is an acclaimed player. An individual has the right to marry anyone. It’s extremely unfortunate and rather bizarre that someone who has won laurels for the country is being subjected to this. If you look at this in a wider perspective, ever since this government came to power, there seems to be a calibrated attempt to try and polarize the country. Such statements threaten the very idea of India. V Hanumantha Rao (Congress): Sania Mirza shouldn’t be Telangana ambassador as she married a Pakistani. She never fought for Telangana. Moreover, she is married to a Pakistani, people will not appreciate it. Subramanian Swamy (BJP): Pakistan is an enemy country. When you appoint a brand ambassador, it should be someone the people look up to. When Sania Mirza married a Pakistani national, it was a decision based on the family’s views and religion. Therefore, she is not entirely a citizen. I support my party’s decision to object to TRS’ decision to appoint her Telangana ambassador. Prakash Javadekar (BJP): I have no objection to Sania Mirza being appointed brand ambassador of Telangana. She is the pride of India. She has an international standing of her own. We have no problem, Actually, she is the brand ambassador of India. Renuka Chowdhury (Congress): All this is nonsense. Sania is a daughter of India. She is a sportsperson who is a young icon and has brought glory to the nation. On one hand, we say ‘Beti bachao, beti badhao’ in Parliament. On the other hand, we cannot implement it. When a man becomes ambassador, it is fine. When a woman becomes an ambassador, people raise such issues. I am very happy she has become Telangana ambassador. Gaurav Gogoi (Congress): She is India’s daughter. This is an unfortunate controversy. Sania Mirza has made India proud at the world stage. It was a disrespectful comment. Let’s keep sports out of politics. K Kavitha (TRS): It is the decision of the Telangana government and it should be respected. She is an Indian citizen. The BJP should be more concerned about development in the state. Brinda Karat (CPI-M): Only a pervert & twisted mind can give such a statement. The comment must be dismissed outright. Keshav Rao (TRS): This is foolish talk, we don’t care what anyone says, she is an international achiever. Mayawati (BSP): We should welcome Telangana government’s decision of choosing Sania Mirza as the state brand ambassador. It is not right to bring to politics into everything. This will create communal disharmony. MS Gill (Congress): Every Indian is allowed to marry whoever they want and wherever they want. Murli Manohar Joshi (BJP): If someone says this (Pakistan’s daughter-in-law), then it reflects his culture.