AHMEDABAD: President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave, an ambitious project to come up over an area of 215 acres along the Sabarmati riverfront at Motera in Ahmedabad and digitally inaugurated the world’s largest cricket stadium, which was given a new identity and will be called Narendra Modi Stadium in the city.
The stadium , popularly called ‘Motera stadium’, was named Sardar Patel Stadium when it hosted the ‘Namaste Trump’ event in 2019. Congress promptly criticised the decision to name the cricket ground after Modi but was rebutted by I&B minister Prakash Javadekar. “The name of the sports complex is Sardar Patel Sports Enclave. Only the cricket stadium within it has been named after PM Modi.
The family which never respected Sardar Patel, even after his death, is now making hue and cry”. Congress called renaming of the Motera an affront to the memory of former deputy PM Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Announcing that stadium has been named after PM, home minister Amit Shah recalled Modi’s role as the head of the Gujarat Cricket Association and described him as the inspiration behind the giant cricket arena.
The stadium, which can accommodate 1.32 lakh spectators, is hosting its first-ever international cricket match between India and England since its reopening. Shah said the stadium will be the largest multi-sports utility facility in India. To be constructed at a cost of Rs 4,600 crore, it will be built in line with international standards.