Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar was sworn in as a member of the upper house of parliament on Monday, but he vowed to put his on-field performance before any political activity.
Tendulkar, who is worshipped by millions of avid cricket fans in India, was appointed to the Rajya Sabha for a seat theoretically reserved for people who distinguish themselves in the fields of arts, science or social service.
The 39-year-old was sworn in on Monday by Hamid Ansari, India’s vice president and the chairman of the upper house, in presence of his wife Anjali and lawmakers who presented him with a yellow silk shawl after the ceremony.
“It is an honour which I accept with full respect but I am here because of my cricketing career,” he said after the low-key ceremony. “I cannot take any focus away from my cricket because that is where it all started for me.”
Tendulkar no longer plays international Twenty20 cricket but is still one of the world’s leading one-day international and Test match players and he competed in the recent Indian Premier League season.
He is the first active sportsman to serve in India’s upper house and on Monday he repeated that he had no immediate plans to retire. “I am in a better position not only to help cricket but also other sports in the country,” he said. “I would be happy if I am remembered (as) someone who has contributed to all sports in India rather than just my cricket statistics.”
Tendulkar has previously been careful to steer well clear of India’s often bitter political world, and it remains unclear how much he will participate in parliament after his playing days are over.
When he was nominated in April, the Times of India said the gesture made “little sense” while some opposition lawmakers accused the government of crass populist politics.
Om Mathur, a member of parliament for the main opposition BJP, said at the time that Tendulkar was being used by the ruling Congress party to boost its support in the cricketer’s home state of Maharashtra.
Tendulkar is the world’s highest run-scorer in both Test and one-day cricket and in March became the first batsman to complete 100 international centuries – 51 in Tests and 49 in one-dayers.
Tendulkar will be in Dubai this weekend as he is to be honoured for his accomplishments in the game at a lavish dinner on Saturday night.
The first stop of a worldwide Celebration Series which will take in six cities over the next three-years, ‘An Evening with Sachin Tendulkar’ will see the ‘Little Master’ presented with an Outstanding Achievement Award from Wisden India.
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