Hurts me how much time is wasted on this, will remain Indian forever: Sania Mirza
Tennis star Sania Mirza, who was “humbled” to be the first brand ambassador for the state of Telangana, on Thursday prayed for “people who cannot be happy for others”.
Amidst ongoing controversy over her 'credentials' to be Telangana's ambassador, Mirza, on microblogging website Twitter, tweeted:
Her reaction came a day after the BJP criticised Telangana for appointing Mirza its brand ambassador and giving her a grant, saying she is a non-local and "daughter-in-law" of Pakistan.
K Laxman, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in the Telangana Assembly, alleged the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) did this to appease minorities in view of the coming elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
Pointing out the player was born in Maharashtra and then came to Hyderabad in 1986, Laxman wondered how the government could honour her when she chose to marry Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010.
The Indian tennis star was on Tuesday appointed 'Brand Ambassador' of Telangana. She will promote the new state's interests in India and abroad, according to Industrial Infrastructure Corporation managing director Jayesh Rajan.