Sania says its unfair to keep on asserting her Indian-ness
Sports icon Sania Mirza spoke exclusively to NDTV’s Barkha Datt about the controversy that has been kicked around her after a BJP leader from Telangana said the new government there has wrongly chosen her as the Brand Ambassador. In comments that were condemned by the public and a series of parties including his own, K Laxman of the BJP described Ms Mirza, 27, as “the daughter-in-law of Pakistan” on account of her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. He also said that Ms Mirza did not participate in the movement that culminated in Telangana becoming India’s youngest state.
Ms Mirza, who broke down during her interview to NDTV, said it is unfair that she has to keep “asserting my Indian-ness.”
Sania said to Barkha, “It was extremely hurtful. I think it’s unfair that I or we have to keep justifying our Indian-ness, keep asserting our Indian-ness again and again. Don’t know if that has something to do with my gender.
“After playing for the country for as many years, after saying time and again that I have an Indian passport, after winning medals for India after I got married, don’t know why I have to keep justifying that I am Indian. I opened a tennis academy only so that we have more world class tennis players come out of the state of Telangana.”
Sania, though visibly disturbed, said in the interview, “This kind of criticism doesn’t affect me too much. I have lived in Hyderabad all my life; my forefathers have lived here all their lives. I am proud to be from Hyderabad, I am proud to be from Telangana. I am way too stubborn. I will do whatever it takes. I hope to make India and Telangana more well-known in the world of sport.”
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