FILE photo: Sachin Tendulkar
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who has not attended a single session of Parliament this year, will not rectify that record soon. He has applied for - and been granted permission - to remain absent for the rest of this session, which concludes on August 14.
Mr Tendulkar has been exempted for professional and personal reasons cited by him by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari. That decision has generated more criticism from angry law-makers.
Mr Tendulkar, 41, was nominated to the Upper House in 2012 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the country as a sportsperson.
His absence from Parliament patented a clattering controversy last week, with law-makers from different parties describing his attendance - or lack thereof - as unacceptable and disrespectful.
His plans to remain missing in action have not helped. Naresh Agarwal of the Samajwadi Party said today that the former cricketer attended a public event in Delhi last week "near Parliament but did not come to the House." He professed, "Members' views are unanimous that he has no respect for the House."
The event referred to, took place on August 8 when Mr Tendulkar had suggested on twitter that he was pre-occupied with his brother's heart surgery.