Getting back to top won't be easy: Sania Mirza
Bengaluru, Jan 9: The journey back to the top won't be easy, says star player Sania Mirza, who is targeting a return to competitive tennis by the end of 2019 season.
Sania recently had her first child with cricketer-husband Shoaib Malik. The winner of six Grand Slams has started training.
The 32-year-old Hyderabadi says she has to juggle many a roles and it is a demanding task.
"Well, I have been able to play these roles thick and fast. I have been a wife for a while. I have become mother just now. I am trying to get back to the top level. I know, it is not going to be easy, but nothing is worth than doing it," Sania told PTI.
"My realistic goal is to make a comeback to the sport. Probably by the end of this year it may happen. Earlier I had talked about my return by 2020. There was a reason for that. I didn't want to put pressure on myself and still don't," she said.
Sania said her life has changed completely after giving birth to her son Izhaan.
"Life changes a lot when you have an infant in the house. You are not the priority anymore. As sportspersons, we tend to be a little bit selfish all our life. It is all about us. It is all about our fitness, rest and work," Sania said.
"When an infant arrives in the house, it is nothing about you anymore. It is all about the infant. And, that is what motherhood is all about. The life becomes selfless," she on the sidelines of the inauguration of the 9th season of 'The Label Bazaar' exhibition here.
Sania said her son will have to freedom to choose his calling in life.
"I and my husband (Shoaib Malik) are not discussing it at all. He can be a doctor or whatever he wants to be, and that is how my parents have brought me about. They allowed me to choose whatever I wanted to do. May be, my son, will not be a sportsperson at all. You never know," she said.
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Criticism of PM Modi, repeated mentions of guarantees to be highlights of K’taka Budget: LoP Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Thursday took a dig at CM Siddaramaiah ahead of the state Budget presentation, claiming that the government is expected to borrow Rs 1.15 lakh crore and is likely to impose fresh taxes on the people.
He said the Budget would have nothing new, adding that its highlights would be criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and repeated mentions of the five guarantee schemes ('Shakti', 'Gruha Lakshmi', 'Gruha Jyoti, 'Yuva Nidhi' and 'Anna Bhagya').
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the 2026–27 Budget on March 6. This will be his record 17th budget.
“Siddaramaiah-led Congress government’s budget will be presented tomorrow. While Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reduced the tax burden in the Union Budget, Siddaramaiah is known for imposing taxes on people. He imposes about four taxes a month and has already introduced 36 taxes, and is now looking for ways to impose more,” Ashoka said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the Congress had promised people before coming to power that the guarantee schemes would be implemented without imposing any burden on them.
“By the end of the chief minister’s term, the state’s total debt will probably exceed Rs 6 lakh crore. The government has already breached financial discipline. Siddaramaiah and his government are somehow managing the situation,” Ashoka claimed, adding that his borrowings as CM equal those of 12 or 13 former chief ministers combined.
Stating that the Budget should create higher revenue sources, ensure that no burden is placed on people, and take the state away from debt, the opposition leader said this could be ensured only by a “clever and intelligent finance minister.”
“Anyone can run a government by pushing the state into debt,” he said, accusing Siddaramaiah of “increasing the state’s debt and failing to meet the expectations of the people.”
Highlighting that Siddaramaiah blames the previous BJP government for everything, Ashoka said Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister during the previous BJP government, had presented a “surplus budget,” without excessive borrowings.
“Despite having the opportunity to borrow more while staying within the parameters of financial discipline, he (Bommai) did not do so, as it would burden the people,” he said, accusing Siddaramaiah of borrowing crores of rupees every year.
“I feel that this time too, he will take a loan of Rs 1.15 lakh crore,” he claimed.
The BJP leader said he had written to the CM requesting an allocation of Rs 15,000 crore annually for the development of backward taluks, as recommended by the High Power Committee on Redressal of Regional Imbalance (HPCRRI), chaired by economist Prof M Govinda Rao.
Claiming that the government appears “inactive” due to internal rifts, Ashoka pointed to an ongoing power struggle between factions led by Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over the CM’s post.
“Amid all this, we cannot expect anything new from this Budget. The CM will repeatedly speak about the guarantee schemes and target the central government and PM Modi. Criticising Modi and repeated mentions of the five guarantee schemes will be the highlight of this Budget. Other than that, there will be nothing new,” he added.
He also dismissed the CM's claim that the government had achieved 90 per cent of the promises made in the previous Budget. “The fact is that not even 9 per cent has been achieved. I have evidence for it,” he said.
Ashoka further alleged that the government had also failed in tax collection, achieving only 48 per cent of the target, and had released less than 40 per cent of the allocated funds to some departments.
