NEW DELHI (TIP): Seeking to counter charges levelled against her by the Madhya Pradesh government, tennis star Sania Mirza on Thursday issued a statement justifying the need for a chartered plane to attend the central Indian state’s annual sports awards ceremony. Reports emerged earlier this week that the 29-year-old had asked for a chartered plane and a make-up kit worth Rs.75,000 to attend the function on Saturday which was postponed to Dec 1.
When the demands were heard, state Sports Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia declined to meet them and instead brought in chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand as the chief guest for the event.