Celebrated athlete PT Usha now a Rajya Sabha MP
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New Delhi: Celebrated athlete PT Usha took oath as Rajya Sabha MP on Wednesday.
However, the iconic former track and field athlete has maintained that she will continue to work in sports.
"For me, sports is important. I will continue my routine of training young athletes," Usha had said.
And India would not expect anything less from the four-time gold medalist, often called the "Queen of Indian track and field".
It is precisely this passion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed when Usha's name was announced earlier this month.
"Her accomplishments in sports are widely known, but equally commendable is her work to mentor budding athletes over the last several years," Modi had tweeted.
He also labelled Usha "an inspiration for every Indian". Today, after her oath, Modi took to Twitter again to congratulate Usha. "Glad to have met PT Usha Ji in Parliament", Modi wrote.
Usha, along with renowned composer Ilaiyaraaja, screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad and spiritual leader Veerendra Heggade, was nominated to the Upper House of Parliament by the government, in what was seen as part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) outreach to southern India.