Sania Mirza
Sania MirzaSania Mirza Twitter

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza was targeted over her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Mailk in a controversial remark by Telangana BJP leader K Laxman, who referred to her as the "daughter-in-law of Pakistan".

While the TRS government of the newly formed state had pitched for Mirza to be their brand ambassador, Laxman labelled Mirza the "daughter-in-law of Pakistan" and questioned her credibility to be picked as the face of Telangana.

The BJP leader even accused the government of taking the step with an eye on the minority community votes in upcoming election to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the Press Trust of India reported.

Laxman's narrow-minded comment drew sharp reactions, with Mirza herself condemning the "outsider" tag, saying that she will remain an Indian till the end of her life.

The Twitterati, however, came out in support of the tennis player, with the likes of Kiran Bedi and Barkha Dutt condemning the remark.