A BJP legislator on Monday demanded the removal of tennis star Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador of Telangana because she is a “bahu of Pakistan.”
Known for his controversial and inflammatory comments, Singh said in a video message to Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that it was time India cut off all its links with Pakistan in every form.
He said Sania Mirza ceased to be Indian as she had married a Pakistani. “When the Indian government is making every attempt to isolate Pakistan and cutting off all its relations with the country in every field, it is not appropriate to continue Sania, a Pakistani Bahu, as the state’s brand ambassador,” he said.
Sania, on the other hand, has condemned the attack on social media, which has also become a point of criticism by her fans. “We are against terrorism and anyone that spreads, but I will still be praying for peace,” she tweeted after the attack took place.
Reminding the trolls that she didn’t have to condemn attacks publicly to prove that she was against terrorism, Sania posted a long message saying, “I don’t need to condemn an attack publicly, or come and scream from roof tops or all over social media that we are against terrorism. Of course we are against terrorism and anyone that spreads it. Any person in their right frame of mind is against terrorism and if they are not then that’s a problem”.
Sania also urged the trolls to invest their time into doing something productive instead of sitting and swearing and judging public figures. Sania is the wife of Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik and the couple got married in 2010.
Published in Daily Times, February 20th 2019.