Amid an ongoing political controversy surrounding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a call for him to be awarded a Padma Bhushan emerged, further fueling the row.
“I bow to his ‘wisdom,’ at the very least. I know Samik ji; he is a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha and also a state president. Given that level of ‘wisdom’ and in this climate where accounts of theft and dacoity have surfaced, backed by evidence, he should be the first to receive the Bharat Ratna for such a mindset. “Padma Bhushan? Why stop there? Give him the Bharat Ratna! One or two years left for the presidential election? Make him the President! Now that he has done so much for the BJP. Gifted West Bengal to the BJP. Now, talking about Padma Bhushan, I feel it’s a huge injustice to him,” Abdullah was quoted by PTI as saying.
West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya said CEC Gyanesh Kumar deserved a Padma Bhushan “at the very least”, and credited him with ensuring a violence-free assembly election in the state and “cleansing” the voter list by removing illegal Bangladeshis. “In a border state like West Bengal, Gyanesh Kumar took the initiative to remove the names of Bangladeshi infiltrators from the voter list,” Bhattacharya said. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha on Saturday took a dig at BJP MP and West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya over his remark, saying he “bows to his wisdom” amid the ongoing political controversy over the Election Commission. Speaking to ANI, Jha said that given the BJP leader’s “level of wisdom”, he should instead be the first to receive the Bharat Ratna. Only then should anyone else be considered,” Jha said. Gyanesh Kumar should be awarded Bharat Ratna or made country’s President… just two years left for presidential election… he has done so much for the BJP… entire West Bengal was gifted to BJP”, Omar Abdullah said.
Earlier reporting noted: “Why stop at Padma Bhushan. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday took a swipe at the BJP for the suggestion, saying he should be rewarded with a Bharat Ratna for delivering West Bengal to the party. Earlier reporting noted: ‘Why just Padma Bhushan, give Gyanesh Kumar Bharat Ratna’: Omar Abdullah’s dig at CEC Gyanesh Kumar should be awarded Bharat Ratna, said Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday, taking a dig at the chief election commissioner amid mounting criticism against the poll body over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, in light of recent reports of differences within the ECI.
some BJP workers in Bengal doubled down on their leader’s demand While the Opposition found the proposal funny.
