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This Is The Unbelievable Reason Why Saina Nehwal Is Being Labelled 'Anti-National'

Ridiculous.
By 

News Editor, HuffPost India

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AFP/Getty Images
File photo - India's Saina Nehwal waves the Indian flag during the women's singles final medal ceremony at the Indonesian Open 2009 badminton competition in Jakarta on June 21, 2009 against China's Lin Wang.

When badminton star Saina Nehwal shared a photo of herself on Sunday with a new phone she is endorsing, she didn't know that in less than 24 hours, she would be accused of being "anti-national". The 26-year-old sportsperson, who has already won several of India's top honours including the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards, is being trolled for endorsing a Chinese brand.

Among the several hundred comments of appreciation from her fans, many also requested her to not use Chinese products or advertise them. "I am your fan, but if you say buy China product am not. I will say stop this nonsense," wrote one such fan.

Another fan advised her not to use Chinese phones while planning badminton strategy as it could be leaked to her rivals, he claimed. "Such phones allegedly transmit information from the device to Chinese servers through the back door," he commented.

Meanwhile, Saina, who is currently in Dubai for several international events, has not yet responded to such allegations.

(H/T The Indian Express)

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Gold medal winner India's Saina Nehwal, right and silver medalist Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon pose after the women's singles final of Yonex Sunrise India Open Badminton in New Delhi, India, Sunday, March 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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-- This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.