The Name Game: Name stadiums after sportspersons

The Congress definitely cannot take the moral high ground over the re-labelling of Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi considering that hundreds of national assets are named after members of the Nehru-Gandhi family, but the BJP has nothing to say in its defence either. Going by the backlash on social media, even diehard Modi-fans seem to be aghast that the BJP which claims to be a party with a difference is fast adopting the “Congress culture”, something that it vehemently opposed all along. The powers-that-be were obviously aware that renaming would stoke a major controversy, which is why it was kept an absolute secret till the last moment. Apparently, even the owner of the property, Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) was unaware of the move, until the words ‘Narendra Modi Stadium’ flashed on the screen during the inaugural ceremony. The BJP’s feeble argument that the entire sports arena will still bear Patel’s name while only the stadium is named after Modi, has not cut much ice with his followers.

It is obvious that the stadium was named after obtaining Modi’s consent because the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, prohibits a private entity like GCA from using the prime minister’s name without prior permission, especially for professional and commercial purposes. Sometime ago, Reliance was fined for using the photograph of the prime minister in an advertisement without government approval. At a time when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is taunting the prime minister with his ‘Hum do, hamaare do’ jibe, the naming of two pavilion ends after Adani and Reliance has only caused further embarrassment to Modi. The fact that Home Minister Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah is secretary with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was also not lost on anybody either. The prime minister lending his name to the stadium has surprised many as it is a practice in India not to christen monuments or erect statues during the lifetime of a person, though there may be some exceptions.

This is a needless controversy that Modi who often portrays a holier-than-thou image could have avoided. A similar storm was witnessed recently when the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi was renamed after the former minister, the late Arun Jaitley, who had never in his life played professional cricket. If at all stadiums should be named after somebody, it should be after eminent sportspersons who have immensely contributed to their respective field. This will not only be a befitting tribute to them, but will also serve as an inspiration to the younger generation.