'Gifted Narendra Modi's Photo To Narendra Modi At Narendra Modi Stadium': Congress Taunts PM

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh taunted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after PM Modi took a lap of honour at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.

File of Congress MP Jairam Ramesh | Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the start of the fourth test cricket match between India and Australia, at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, Thursday, March 9, 2023. ( Image Source :PTI | Twitter/@INCIndia )

New Delhi: The Congress party and its General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh Thursday taunted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his lap of honour at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad's Motera. PM Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese took a round of the massive sports arena on a golf car before the start of the fourth Test match between India and Australia.

Attacking PM Modi, Jairam Ramesh tweeted: "Doing a lap of honour in a stadium you named after yourself in your own lifetime --- height of self-obsession."

A lap of honour around the stadium he got named after himself in his own lifetime is a good occasion for heralding a quarter century of pointed questions with HAHK( Hum Adanike Hain Kaun)-25

Chuppi Todiye Pradhan Mantriji pic.twitter.com/n3sfe590wP

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 9, 2023

Meanwhile, the Congress tweeted a photo of PM Modi with BCCI Secretary Jay Shah who is also the son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah writing: "Narendra Modi's friend's son gifted Narendra Modi's photo to Narendra Modi at Narendra Modi Stadium."

नरेंद्र मोदी स्टेडियम में नरेंद्र मोदी जी को नरेंद्र मोदी जी की तस्वीर भेंट करते नरेंद्र मोदी जी के दोस्त के बेटे। pic.twitter.com/F8GkeXjJ0a

— Congress (@INCIndia) March 9, 2023

In 2015, the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera was closed and demolished before being completely rebuilt at the cost of Rs 800 crore. It was then named Narendra Modi Stadium on February 24, 2021. The Narendra Modi Stadium is the largest cricket stadium in the world and has a seating capacity of 132,000 people.

Notably, the Narendra Modi stadium was the venue of the Namaste Trump event and hosted the then US President Donald Trump on February 24, 2020.

Ahead of the Gujarat Election held in December last year, the Congress had promised to restore the name of the Narendra Modi Stadium as Sardar Patel Stadium if voted to power.

“PM Modi changed the name of the stadium because he wants to put himself on par with Sardar Patel. Though the prime minister compares himself with Patel, he stands nowhere in comparison to Sardar Patel. We will change the name of the stadium in the first Cabinet meeting,” senior Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry said during the release of the party's manifesto, as per PTI.

He even remarked that Modi should be ashamed of renaming the stadium after himself.

As for today's event, the round of the playing turf on a golf car by the Prime Ministers was applauded by the thousands of spectators who had already taken their seats in the world's largest cricket stadium.

WATCH | रथ पर सवार पीएम मोदी और ऑस्ट्रेलियाई पीएम

स्वीकारा जनता का अभिवादन @RubikaLiyaquat | https://t.co/smwhXUROiK#IndiaAustraliaTestMatch #PMNarendraModi #AnthonyAlbanese #NarendraModiStadium pic.twitter.com/v2oNM7Algn

— ABP News (@ABPNews) March 9, 2023

The Prime Ministers handed over Test caps to their respective team captains Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese left the Stadium after briefly watching the game on day 1 of the final Test match. 

Modi and Albanese's visit is a part of the celebrations relating to the 75 years of Indo-Australia friendship.

READ | PM Modi, Australian PM's Lap Of Honour At Motera Stadium, Thousands Gather To Watch IND vs AUS Match