A controversy has erupted in the state over the decision to honour Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with the first Jharkhand Ratna award.
RANCHI: A controversy has erupted in the state over the decision to honour Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain of India's Twenty20 and one-day international cricket teams, with the first Jharkhand Ratna award.
When India won the Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa under Dhoni, the Madhu Koda government had decided to honour Dhoni with the award Nov 15, the state's seventh foundation day.
"How can the government announce an award to honour Dhoni when it has not been approved by the state cabinet," demanded former chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arjun Munda.
Chief Minister Madhu Koda is, however, firm on his decision to bestow the honour on the wicketkeeper-batsman.
"Certainly Dhoni will be honoured with the Jharkhand Ratna award and we will also present him with a surprise gift," disclosed Koda, without giving any hint about what the surprise is likely to be.
Legal experts here doubt if the state government can honour Dhoni with the Jharkhand Ratna award.
"Till now, no such award figures in the state government's honours list. The government will have to first get the award approved by the cabinet, which will decide what can be given with the award," said P.C. Tripathy, a local lawyer.
He said for such prestigious awards, a committee is generally constituted to look into the merit of the sportspersons.
The state government had earlier gifted Dhoni a 5,000 sq feet plot of land in Ranchi, the price of which is estimated at Rs.4 million. Dhoni is now building a house on the plot.
The government's decision to honour Dhoni with the Jharkhand Ratna award has also irked hockey players in the state.
Jharkhand has produced several national and international hockey players.
Ranchi resident Jaipal Singh was the captain of the 1928 Indian hockey team that won the first-ever Olympic gold medal at the Amsterdam Games. But to the shock of his admirers, the state government has recently decided to convert the Jaipal Singh Stadium into a shopping mall.
"We welcome the move to honour Dhoni, but successive governments have neglected hockey players despite the fact that Jharkhand has produced more than 20 national and international hockey players," Sumit Sen, a hockey buff, said.
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