The refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, was renamed the Narendra Modi stadium on Wednesday, sparking chortles on social media.
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the world’s largest cricket stadium ahead of the third Test between India and England in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Cricket: World’s largest stadium in Motera renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium
“We have decided to name it after the country’s prime minister,” said Shah after the inauguration. “It was Modi ji’s dream project.”
Said Kovind said in his address: “This stadium was conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. He was president of the Gujarat Cricket Association at that time,”
The president also performed the ground-breaking ceremony for a sports complex in the stadium, to be named Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel sports enclave, for disciplines such as football, hockey, basketball, kabbadi, boxing, and lawn tennis among others.
Here is a sample of the reactions on Twitter.
It’s going to be a spinning wicket for sure as it is named after Indias greatest spinner :)
— Vikram Sathaye (@vikramsathaye) February 24, 2021
There will be no press conference at the Narendra Modi cricket stadium.
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) February 24, 2021
Tea breaks at the Narendra Modi stadium will be nostalgic.
— डी.के. (@itsdhruvism) February 24, 2021
Stadium Narendra Modi's pitch is sandwiched between Adani and Reliance 🙈🙊🙉 pic.twitter.com/TEYZLYSDiL
— Sarcasm ™️ (@SarcasticRofl) February 24, 2021
The two ends of Narendra Modi stadium could be named CBI end & ED end.
— Urvish Kothari (@urvish2020) February 24, 2021
So it’s now the Na Motera
— Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) February 24, 2021
To be fair, this was expected from a stadium whose seats form what looks like a giant saffron lotus.
— Karthik Krishnaswamy (@the_kk) February 24, 2021
Fitting name for a needlessly extravagant and ugly stadium.
— Halli Billy (@halli_billy) February 24, 2021
Worried whether he will have to change his name to Axar Modi.
— K Balakumar (@kbalakumar) February 24, 2021
Motera stadium to be renamed ‘Narendra Modi Stadium’ today #MoteraCricketStadium pic.twitter.com/LISU8LCEol
— Prayag (@theprayagtiwari) February 24, 2021
"People earlier tried their best to ensure that the contribution of Sardar Patel was forgotten and diminished." - Narendra Modi, 31 October 2017. https://t.co/2CcllOGI8i
— Ravi Nair (@t_d_h_nair) February 24, 2021
So Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is safe then
— cornerd (@cornerd) February 24, 2021
BREAKING: Post match press conferences at NaMo stadium to be renamed as Mann ki Baat #INDvENG
— Kohli’s 71st ton (@samtanisonali1) February 24, 2021
Bhakt who used to mock the naming of Stadium after Rajiv and Nehru
— Nehr_who? (@Nher_who) February 24, 2021
Are now Justifying the naming of stadium after Narendra Modi
Hypocrisy much
Narendra Modi stadium! pic.twitter.com/KH4qjqApHs
— Cartoonist Alok (@caricatured) February 24, 2021