Bengaluru: Addressing the media persons here, President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), D.K. Shivakumar said that, “The Khel Ratna Award, named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been changed by the Union government. This is a serious offence.”

“Rajiv Gandhi’s activities were for the country’s youth, for their patronage and the possibilities he offered for revolutionary thought of the youth are genuinely unforgettable. The Khel Ratna award has always been given in his name but now this has happened,” he said.

He stated that Indian hockey legend Dhyan Chand was the country’s pride and that the Congress party would have no objection if the Modi government decided to create a special award or launch a new scheme in Dhyan Chand’s honour.

The Karnataka Congress leader further explained that Dhyan Chand is our country’s pride. There are no other words to describe it. “Let the government establish a new welfare programme, a new university or a new welfare scheme in his honour. We will never resist such a decision.”