It happened in the 1930s. And it happened the other day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi renamed the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna’ the ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna’. Major Dhyan Chand got a secondhand compliment, said a wag. “Now people will forever be confused, whether it’s Rajiv Gandhi or Major Dhyan Chand? PM Modi likes to play games. Yeh Unko Shobha Nahi Deta.”

Major Dhyan Chand was a UP-wala. His family is UP-wala. UP is going to polls in eight to 10 months. And the times are such that every small disruption counts. Replacing Rajiv Gandhi with Major Dhyan Chand, Modi is playing a political game. The last time Modi played a political game, it came back to bite him. His party BJP lost horribly and the lady who heads the party which worsted the BJP delighted in “Khela Hobe” – “game’s up!”.

Okay, so where are we heading for? Into the homerun if it’s baseball, extra-time if it’s hockey or football. Come 2024 Mamata Banerjee says there will be an all-India “Khela Hobe”. This has set tongues wagging in a good manner. Common people like the sound of “Khela Hobe”, it rolls on the tongue like a dice, and the dice they say is loaded against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP post his Covid-sized blunders.

Modi is not the invincible master of all he surveys. Renaming an award is no great shakes for a Prime Minister. It’s right up any Prime Minister’s sleeve. Prime Minister Devegowda could have played the “Khela”. Ditto Lal Bahadur Shastri, Prime Minister VP Singh, PM Chandra Shekhar. Why, even Pradhan Mantri Atal Bihari Vajpayee! But none of them deigned, they had other bigger things to do.

PM Modi is somebody who likes to spring surprises on people. Then he says “it’s what the people wished for.” So, Rajiv Gandhi is shown the exit because millions of Bharatiya tweeted tagging Modi, urging him “Do it Sir, rename Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna the major Dhyan Chand khel Ratna.” You see, Narendra Modi is in a class of his own, he puts words in the mouths of the Great Unwashed. It’s his version of “Khela Hobe”.

It also greatly enhances the manner of politics he plays. Laying anything and everything at the doors of the hoi polloi to garner credibility. Now, neither Arnab Goswami nor Ravish Kumar will invite “people” to the studio to ask if it was him/her who murmured in Modi’s ear to dump Rajiv Gandhi and pick Major Dhyan Chand? The “people’s requests” gives Modi alibi.

Mind you the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna was the highest sports honour the nation could confer on anybody. Now with this change in name, what’s gonna happen to the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna’ given till last year? Will their value depreciate in the eyes of the beholder, and in that of the common man? The question asked in the ICS will henceforth be, “Who was the last sportsperson who won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna?”

Modi says he got people’s “requests” to rename the ‘Khel Ratna’ after Major Dhyan Chand. So ‘tathastu’, what’ll be will be, que sera sera…” Modi was only “respecting” the sentiments of the people. “I have been getting many requests from citizens across India to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand. I thank them for their views.”

“It’s hitting below the belt, committing a foul,” retorted a NSUI member. A Congress MP called it “saffronization”. Randeep Singh Surjewala couldn’t hold back his temper. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna has been there since 1991-1992. Viswanathan Anand was the first recipient. Others include Leander Paes, Sachin Tendulkar, Dhanraj Pillay, Mary Kom, Pullela Gopichand, Abhinav Bindra, Anju Bobby George… .

The debating point is, “Was it kosher to rename?” Maybe not. Modi has put himself in the bracket of those who labelled ‘petty-minded’. He could have instituted a fresh new award in the name of Major Dhyan Chand. Now, there’s the counter demand to rename the renamed Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad — do unto Modi what Modi did to Rajiv Gandhi! This is a game two can play. If in 2024 the Opposition led by Rahul Gandhi comes to power, and Modi is up the river without a paddle, Papa Rajiv Gandhi could be avenged with a major return to name! For that “Khela” has to “hobe”. (IPA Service)