Monday, May 21, 2012
In April 2012, Tendulkar accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination proposed by the president. He is the first active sportsperson and cricketer to have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha.[166] Reactions to this decision included: Sanjay Manjrekar
who said that he was "actually shocked by the story itself, first by
the nomination as it came without any warning. And that Sachin has
accepted it is even more shocking. When I visualise what Sachin could
possibly do after retirement, I thought something connected to cricket,
coaching and all that, may be some business or social activity. But
Rajya Sabha MP after retirement or even at this stage of career is
something that was not even in my wildest guess." MP and former
cricketer Kirti Azad
said that the move was akin to an honourary degree on an eminent person
and said that "Why should he not be successful? Unlike a Lok Sabha MP,
he does not have to worry about his constituency and he could focus on
the topics related to sports. I’m confident he will do a good job."
Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar
reacted in saying that "so far, they were nominating persons from other
fields. Now that a sportsman has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha, a
good precedent has been set." DNA
questioned if Tendulkar could handle the political system and was aware
of the issues, though it also said that he has now outlined in partisan
politics in choosing a party after the nomination followed a visit to
the head of the Indian National Congress' residence in New Delhi[167] at the behest of party MP Sanjay Nirupam.[168] The nomination was also made by the president, who is a member of the INC, in the same year as she faces re-election. Actor Sanjay Dutt,
who had also tried to become a MP, said that "it is an honour to be in
the Rajya sabha. I am a fan of Sachin. He is the pride and jewel of
India. But, I am not happy that he is a Rajya Sabha member. He should
have been the way he is." He was also said to have the support of Amitabh Bacchan.[169] His decision to be a MP was also criticised in some quarters: Former Indian captain Ajit Wadekar
said that "hope[s Tendulkar] does not suffer the same fate as another
legend, Amitabh Bachchan, politics is a big game. He had only said he is
not going to retire soon. But, my fear is how will he divide his time
and responsibilities." Former member of the Indian 1983 Cricket World Cup team Madan Lal
was also surprised, saying that "the kind of person Sachin is, we never
expected him to take up politics." The Maharashtrian party Shiv Sena's MP Sanjay Raut questioned the timing and asked "is Sachin being used to divert attention from the problems plaguing the Congress?" The Communist Party of India's Gurudas Dasgupta sad that "I welcome the decision to nominate Tendulkar, but at the same time when Sourav is in his top form, his name, too, should have been considered."[168] His current colleague Harbhajan Singh said that he was "proud that Sachin is getting the honour. He deserves much more than that. May God bless him always."[170] Anti-corruption campaigner Baba Ramdev said that the INC was using the nomination and Tendulkar's stature to boost its battered image through series of scandals and electoral defeats.[171] Former Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia
reacted neutrally saying a nomination of a sports candidate was a
personal choice to accept.On 2nd May,2012 sachin was selected as the
holder of seat no. 103 in the upper house "Rajya Sabha"[172
