Shah Faesal says 'credit a must where credit is due' amid row over Narendra Modi Stadium

Ex-IAS officer Shah Faesal slammed the hue and cry over naming Ahmedabad's Motera stadium as Narendra Modi Stadium and noted that credit must be given where it is due. The massive 132,000-seater that has been built at the spot where the erstwhile Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium used to stand at Motera was christened after PM Modi and is now the world's largest cricket arena as part of a larger Sardar Patel Sports Enclave which Amit Shah claims is capable of hosting the Olympics with just 6 months notice. The stadium was inaugurated by President Kovind and the Home Minister on Wednesday ahead of India's pink-ball Test against England.

Lashing out at criticism over naming the stadium at Motera after India's PM, Shah Faesal pointed out that the Left had always celebrated naming institutions after leaders to 'memorialize extraordinary human action'. The former IAS officer remarked that it wasn't the first time a stadium was being named after a personality and claimed that credit should be given where it is due. Through history, things much bigger than stadia have been named after Communist leaders, such as the erstwhile cities of Leningrad and Stalingrad in Russia. Further, India has a history of naming stadia after politicians, with almost two dozen installations named after the three former Prime Ministers from the Nehru-Gandhi family.

READ | Hardik Patel Decries 'Modi Stadium'; Asserts 'India Won't Tolerate Sardar Patel's Insult'

The Narendra Modi Stadium which can accommodate over 110,000 spectators (some accounts claim 132,000), was inaugurated by President Kovind, Home Minister Shah, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat and other dignitaries ahead of the India-England pink-ball day-night test match. Unveiling the stadium on Wednesday, Shah revealed the govt's plan to make Ahmedabad the sports capital of India and assured to provide all state-of-the-art facilities for sports in the state. The Opposition parties launched a tirade against the ruling BJP for naming the stadium after PM Modi, alleging that it was an "insult" to Sardar Patel. 

READ | Kevin Pietersen Pokes Team India Over Toss At Motera, Repeats Attack On Pitch Before Play

Listing out the pros of the Narendra Modi Stadium, HM Shah noted that it was a golden day in the history of sports in India and hailed the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) for their efforts in creating the stadium. The Union Minister said that the Narendra Modi Stadium along with the larger Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Complex and another upcoming facility at Naranpura was capable of holding any big sporting event. Further, HM Shah recalled PM Modi's vision for Gujaratis to be more active in the field of sports and said that the government was now working towards that vision. The BJP leader also noted that a game could resume play after 30 min of delay due to rain in the newly inaugurated Narendra Modi Stadium.

READ | Ahmedabad's Giant Motera Named 'Narendra Modi Stadium' Before 3rd India-England Test

Shah Faesal's change of stance

Shah Faesal used to be a vocal critic of the Modi government not long ago and was even detained at Delhi airport in August 2019 and later placed under house arrest against the backdrop of the abrogation of Article 370. The administration then slapped the PSA on him after former J&K Chief Ministers Omar and Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti. Later in June 2020,  Faesal along with PDP leaders Sartaj Madni and Peer Mansoor were released from detention.

After his release, Faesal resigned from the post of chief of Jammu & Kashmir People's Movement (JKPM) which led to rumours that he was set to rejoin government service. He had resigned from the civil services on January 9, 2019 citing the 'unabated killings in Kashmir and lack of any sincere reach-out from the Union government'. 

READ | Gambhir Reckons Kohli Will Pick Siraj Over Umesh For India-England Pink-ball Motera Test