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Sachin Tendulkar offered political role in India’s parliament

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA), International Service , 28 Apr 2012 - 9:55

India’s prime minister has put forward batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar for membership of the upper house of parliament, reports said on Thursday.


Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has written a letter to the president recommending the cricketer be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the NDTV news channel quoted sources as saying.

Over two decades and more, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has gotten used to carrying the burden of a billion hopes each time he has walked out to bat. Now he faces an altogether different challenge: proving himself a capable lawmaker, KHAAMA reported.  

President Pratibha Patil has approved Tendulkar’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament, meaning he will become the first professional athlete to take a nominated seat there when he takes oath in the coming days.

Tendulkar, who turned 39 on Tuesday, has played more Tests (188) and One-day Internationals (463) than any other player since his debut in 1989. He is the highest run-getter in both forms of the game and last month became the first batsman to complete 100 international centuries — 51 in Tests and 49 in one-dayers.

The nomination of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has sparked a political slugfest with the opposition parties questioning the timing of the move by the government.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena have said that the timing of the nomination suggests that it is aimed at distracting attention from scams.

India’s sporting heroes also came forward with mixed reaction to the government’s decision of nominating cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar for a seat in the Rajya Sabha. Former soccer player Baichung Bhutia, in Kolkata insisted that joining politics should be Tendulkar’s personal decision


Story Code: 40807

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