Maharashtra CM takes dig at Centre, says 'We won't lose any cricket match as name of stadium has been changed to Narendra Modi'

Maharashtra chief minister Udhav Thackeray on Wednesday took a potshot at the Centre over changing the Motera stadium's name to Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad and said that his party doesn't need to learn Hindutva from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government.

"We won't lose any cricket match as the name of the stadium (Motera) has been changed to Narendra Modi stadium. We have named the international airport after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj but they have changed Sardar Patel stadium's name. We don't have to learn Hindutva from you," said Thackeray while addressing the session at Maharashtra Legislature on Wednesday.

On February 25, amid a controversy over the renaming of the cricket stadium, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rup clarified that the name change involves only the Motera stadium and the sports complex where it is located will continue to be named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Hitting out at Congress, Rup had said, "We are building a sports complex on a 233-acre land and have named it as Sardar Patel Sports Complex. Only the cricket stadium has been named Narendra Modi Stadium. So Congress has no right to criticise."

The newly-built Motera Stadium was renamed the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat on February 24.

Meanwhile speaking in the Assembly today, Thackeray said: "Shiv Sena was not a part of the freedom struggle but neither was BJP's parent orgsation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Just chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' doesn't make you (BJP) a patriot."

Thackeray also spoke about the recently passed farm laws and opposed the views of the Centre stating that farmers are in trouble in Punjab.

"Farmers are in trouble there (Punjab). Their power and water supplies have been cut off and nails put in their path. But they run away when they see China. If this kind of preparation was made at borders with China or Bangladesh, infiltration won't happen," he said.

Farmers have been protesting against the recently passed farm laws at Delhi borders since November 26 last year.

As the session continued, Maharashtra Power Minister Nitin Raut tabled in the Assembly a report of Maharashtra Cyber Cell on the October 12 Mumbai power outage.

The 10-day joint session of the Maharashtra Legislature began on March 1. The budget of Maharashtra will be tabled on March 8.

( With inputs from ANI )