Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna had hit out at Tendulkar more than once.
alt145alt39Sachin is not greater than Maharashtra. He may be a great cricketer, but his runs and shots belong to the cricket boards record books. They do very little to e
nhance Maharashtras pride,’an article in the Saamna had said.
The senior Thackeray has also passed terse comments, but Tendulkar has refrained from reacting to any of the barbs.
Maharashtra tourism minister and NCP leader Chaggan Bhujbal had even attempted to rope in Sachin as the States brand ambassador but the government was kept in waiting for almost two years. Later the government spiked its plans.
‘Sachin being a national icon belongs to the entire country. We cannot limit his role by appropriating him in this manner. Hence we will not insist that Sachin accepts our invitation,’tourism minister Chhagan Bhujbal had then said. However with Sachin now becoming a mascot of sorts for the Congress, NCP has every reason to feel slighted.
