Have Rahul, Sonia ever praised Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue?: Ravi Shankar Prasad hits out at Cong criticism over Motera Stadium renaming

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday hit out at the Congress party whose leaders had expressed disapproval over the naming of the Motera Cricket Stadium after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and asking if Sonia or Rahul Gandhi had ever praised the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue in Kevadia.

"Has Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi ever praised world's tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Kevadia? Have they visited it? What more can be said?" the Union Minister said at a press conference here.

Earlier today, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 1,32,000-seater stadium, the largest cricket in the world.

Speaking at the inauguration of the stadium President Kovind noted that the stadium also provides world-class facilities for various sporting activities.

"It is a matter of pride for us that the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium has become the world's largest cricket stadium with a capacity of 1.32 lakh spectators. The stadium is not only the largest in the world but also provides world-class facilities for various sporting activities," he said.

Following the President's announcement, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had tweeted, "Maybe they just realised the stadium was named for a Home Minister who had banned their parent orgsation! Or maybe this is advance booking to ensure the next visiting Head of State is hosted here, like Trump? Or is this the beginning of a legacy-creation-thru-labelling spree?"

The BJP has also hit back stating that significant sports infrastructure, awards, and trophies in the country have been named after members of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

( With inputs from ANI )