BJP lands in Sania mess

Faced with another embarrassment after Shiv Sena MPs tried to force-feed a fasting Muslim, the BJP on Thursday distanced itself from a party leader’s comment that tennis star Sania Mirza, who was declared brand ambassador of Telangana, was the “daughter-in-law” of Pakistan.

Telangana BJP leader K Laxman, who later stated that he was misquoted, had opposed the move to declare Sania Mirza as brand ambassador on the grounds that she was the daughter-in-law of Pakistan after having married cricketer Shoaib Malik, and also because she was a “non-local”.

On Tuesday, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao appointed Sania as the state’s brand ambassador, describing her as the “daughter of Hyderabad”, and handed over a cheque of Rs 1 crore.

Sania condemned the statement while asserting, “I am an Indian, who will remain an Indian until the end of my life.”

“I was born in Mumbai as my mother needed to be at a specialist hospital since she was seriously unwell at the time of my birth. I came home to Hyderabad when I was 3 weeks old. My forefathers have lived in Hyderabad for more than a century,” she added.

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar sought to distance the party from the comment.

The minister said: “Sania Mirza is the pride of India. She has an international standing of her own. So, we have no objection. I am sure she is the pride of India. She is brand ambassador of India.”

Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi was more direct in criticising Laxman, though he did not take his name. “If someone makes such statements, it reflects his culture,” Joshi quipped.

Former cricketer and BJP MP Kirti Azad said: “No one in Parliament will appreciate this. I condemn this. Why should regional, religious identities of sports stars be talked about. They are ambassadors of India first.”

Lok Sabha MP and Rao’s daughter K Kavitha argued that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his previous stint as chief minister of Gujarat, had appointed Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador.

However, the only leader who seconded Laxman’s view was Congress MP from Telangana Hanumantha Rao.