JMM demands naming Ranchi cricket stadium after Shibu Soren

Jamshedpur, Aug 26 (PTI) The ruling JMM in Jharkhand on Tuesday demanded that the international cricket stadium in Ranchi be named after former CM Shibu Soren.

In a statement, JMM spokesperson Kunal Sarangi said that just like the cricket stadium in Ahmedabad was named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the JSCA International Stadium should be named after Soren.

Soren's contributions were not restricted to Jharkhand alone, but spanned the country's social, political and cultural spheres, he said.

Sarangi said cricket is a popular sport, and the identity of Jharkhand was established due to international cricket -- whether it was the JSCA Stadium or the former Indian captain MS Dhoni.

"Sibu Soren, too, deserves international recognition. It will only be possible if the stadium is named after him," he said.

Sarangi claimed people in large numbers were taking part in the signature campaign, seeking Bharat Ratna for Soren.

Congress leader Ajay Nath Shah Deo, the JSCA (Jharkhand State Cricket Association) president, could not be reached for a comment.

The tribal leader, whose son Hemant Soren is now the chief minister of Jharkhand, died at a hospital in Delhi on August 4 at the age of 81. PTI BS SOM