The Freethought Party of India (FPI) has criticised the renaming of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand. FPI general secretary B Ramchandra CST Voltaire said the Prime Minister could have instituted a special award for the hockey icon of yesteryears or given him a special honour instead of renaming the Khel Ratna Award after him by dropping the name of former PM Rajiv Gandhi. Voltaire said Rajiv Gandhi’s contribution to the country and world is unparalleled.“Did India make a mistake in naming the Khel Ratna Award after Rajiv Gandhi? Did he not sacrifice his life for India and Sri Lanka? His contributions to India can’t be compared with the sporting honour that Dhyan Chand acquired for himself and for the then British India,” said Voltaire. He further said the move has only widened the political rift between the BJP and the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi, son of Rajiv. “PM Modi said he did this as many Indians wrote to him, requesting him to rename the Khel Ratna Award after Dhyan Chand.
But the question is when the PM is not having the mind to listen to the agitating farmers who have been on the roads for the last eight months, how he is saying that he was moved by the letters and telephonic calls to drop the name of Rajiv and bring in the name of Dhyan Chand? This sort of dirty petty politics must be buried in the earliest for the good of Indian democracy,” added Voltaire.