Amid a controversy over a Telangana BJP leader describing tennis star Sania Mirza as a "non-local" and "daughter-in-law" of Pakistan, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar today said the tennis ace is a pride and brand ambassador of India.

"Sania Mirza is a pride of India. Sania Mirza has an international standing on her own... So, we have no objection. I am sure she is pride of India. She is brand ambassador of India," Javadekar, who is Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, told reporters here.

A controversy has erupted over Telangana government appointing 27-year-old Sania as the state's brand ambassador with BJP leader K Laxman describing her as "non-local" and "daughter-in-law" of Pakistan. "Sania was born in Maharashtra and settled in Hyderabad only later and, hence, is a non-local," Laxman, the leader of BJP in the state assembly, had said. He also dubbed her as "daughter-in-law" of Pakistan, as she is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.

Describing Sania as the "daughter of Hyderabad", Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had on Tuesday appointed her as the state's brand ambassador and handed over a cheque of Rs one crore.