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.
“Why stop at Padma Bhushan.
“Opposition parties are against the Election Commission (ECI), it is not happening without any reason… the proofs were not presented by any political party but a newspaper,” Abdullah said, referring to the report by The Indian Express that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders on the SIR that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation. 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. West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya recently said 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.
Earlier reporting noted: Speaking on the sidelines of the J&K International Buyer-Seller Meet in Srinagar, Abdullah also spoke about the Election Commission, the recently concluded autumn session of the J&K Assembly and his government’s recent initiatives. Election Commission of India should do some soul-searching, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader said while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. Earlier reporting noted: ‘Reward CEC with Bharat Ratna, make him president’: Omar Abdullah takes jibe at Election Commission Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday took a jibe at the Election Commission, sarcastically suggesting that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) should be awarded the Bharat Ratna and later made the President of India.
Speaking to reporters at Panihati in North 24 Parganas district on Friday, Bhattacharya also dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statements where he branded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CEC Kumar as “traitors” and said they would be investigated for “destroying” the foundation of India’s democracy — the vote of the common man — by rigging polls.
