Why Indian archers are opposing BJP MP Gautam Gambhir?

Top archers of India along with the Archery Association Of India (AAI) are in a rift with cricketer turned politician, Gautam Gambhir. The latter wrote a letter to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) requesting it to name the cricket pavilion, which was built to host archery competition during the 2010 Commonwealth Games besides housing a training center for the city’s archers, after former cricket captain Anil Kumble’s name.

The cricketer's step didn't go well with the archers and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, who is also the Archery Association of India (AAI) president. They stand united against the action want it to be named after the legendary archer Limba Ram. An article on this issue was first published in The Tribune.

The Bridge followed up and spoke to two of the best archers in India - Atanu Das and Dipika Kumari, who narrated the development of the episode. "I started my archery career at the Yamuna Sports Complex (DDA) and it will always remain close to my heart. Limba Sir has been one of the stalwarts of Indian archery, so we wish to see his name on it," says the former world no. 1 archer Dipika Kumari.

East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir wants the archery facility at Delhi's Yamuna Sports Complex to be named after fellow retired cricketer Anil Kumble.

📽Watch why Deepika Kumari & @ArcherAtanu Das feel the facility should be named after legendary archer Limba Ram instead.#Archery🏹 pic.twitter.com/2CB1awBc1a

— The Bridge (@TheBridge_IN) January 28, 2021

Dipika's husband and India's top male recurve archer Atanu Das said, "It is one of the finest archery facilities in the country and therefore it should be named after Limba Ram, who was the first padma award winner from the country. All the top archers have wrote a joint-letter to the Prime Minister of India and we are hoping to get what we want. There are plenty of stands named after cricketers, which is well deserving. We don't have any objection, but if we don't speak for the sake of archery that it would be a lost cause."

However, the cricketer’s call didn’t go well with many top archers of the nation and even with Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, who is also the Archery Association of India (AAI) president.

Notably, Munda has requested DDA to name the facility after legendary archer Limba Ram.

Also, the archers pointed out Gambhir to propose naming one of the stands at the Arun Jaitley Stadium (formerly known as the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium) or at any other venue meant for cricket.

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