Thackeray snatches Indian identitity from Sania
Updated at: 1930 PST, Friday, April 02, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray Friday lambasted tennis star Sania Mirza for deciding to marry Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and said she is no longer an Indian.
The 84-year-old Sena supremo also said that had Sania been truly Indian at heart she would not have chosen a Pakistani, an Indian television channel reported.
"Henceforth, Sania will not remain an Indian. Had her heart been Indian, it wouldn't have beaten for a Pakistani," Thackeray said.
Thackeray further went ahead and asked Sania to marry an Indian if she wishes to play for India.
"If she wished to play for India, she should have chosen an Indian life partner," he added.
Thackeray's comments came days after the Sena attacked Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan for his comments on the omission of Pakistani players from the third edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament now underway.
23-year-old Sania, who is the most successful woman tennis player from the sub-continent, has announced her marriage to the 28-year-old former Pakistan skipper.