While Sindhu said that she is an Indian, both the AP and TS Governments are claiming that she belonged to their states.Even while answering to scribes in Hyderabad in her first press meet after returning from RIO, Sindhu said that she played for India.
As the Telangana government and CM KCR sought to “own” the Olympics silver medallist as “daughter of our soil” from Hyderabad and Telangana Bidda, Chandrababu and his government took pains to proclaim that the Olympic champion indeed belonged to Andhra Pradesh.
“Her father is from Eluru and mother from Vijayawada. Both were volleyball players and the credit goes to them for encouraging and nurturing Sindhu to become what she is today,” Chandrababu said, repeatedly referring to her as “mana ammai” our daughter.
On her part, while thanking the AP government for the honour, Sindhu recalled her visits to the city as a child. “I used to come to Vijayawada to my grandfather’s house and play shuttle at the indoor stadium here,” she said.
