The controversy over the appointment of ace tennis player Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador of Telangana refused to die with politicians trying to score brownie points. It has not left the sports world untouched with local badminton ace Saina Nehwal revealing that the Government has not paid the cash reward of Rs 50,00,000 promised to her by the Andhra Pradesh Government in past.
While the row was triggered by the BJP leaders, State Congress leaders were also finding themselves stuck in it. While a senior Rajya Sabha member V Hanumanth Rao also raised objections to Sania’s appointment, his party colleague Mohammed Ali Shabbir has launched a counter attack saying by speaking the language of the BJP, he was damaging the party’s image.
Rao had questioned the decision of the State Government saying, she had married a Pakistani, was not born in Hyderabad and did not participate in movement for Telangana. Shabbir, in a letter to the party president Sonia Gandhi strongly objected to the stand taken by Rao and said that it was not acceptable from a leader of his stature. On the criticism that Sania was born in Mumbai, Shabbir said, “BJP leader lK Advani was born in Pakistan, but that does not make him a Pakistani”.