'Padma Bhushan small thing, make him PM': Cong mocks BJP Bengal chief's praise for CEC

Congress has held nationwide protests demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s removal

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday hit back at West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya after the latter said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar deserved the Padma Bhushan for his role in conducting the state’s recent assembly election and revising the voter list.Reacting to Bhattacharya’s remarks, Khera said, "The Padma Bhushan is a very small thing. Make him the Prime Minister. After all, a person who can make others Prime Minister should be made one himself."Bhattacharya had earlier praised the CEC while speaking to reporters at Panihati in North 24 Parganas district, saying the CEC deserved the Padma Bhushan "at the very least". He credited Kumar with ensuring a violence-free election in West Bengal and with "cleansing" the electoral roll by removing illegal Bangladeshi immigrants."Gyanesh Kumar deserves to be awarded, at the very least, with the Padma Bhushan. The people of West Bengal are delighted that, after so long, intimidation was kept at bay, that there were no incidents of murder during the elections and people were actually allowed to cast their votes," the BJP leader said.He also claimed that Kumar had played a key role in the revision of the voter list."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.

"The people of West Bengal have rarely witnessed an election like this. Therefore, the general public of West Bengal is grateful to Gyanesh Kumar and has blessed him with all their hearts," he added.The BJP leader’s comments came amid a growing controversy over the functioning of the Election Commission during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. An Indian Express report said that two election commissioners had objected to decisions allegedly taken in their names have triggered criticism from the Opposition.

Congress has held nationwide protests demanding Kumar’s removal and arrest, while a plea has also been filed in the Supreme Court challenging election-related orders and alleged software changes attributed to the CEC without the concurrence of the other two election commissioners.The row has also drawn criticism from Rahul Gandhi, who accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Kumar of being "traitors" and alleged that they were destroying the foundation of India’s democracy by rigging elections.Bhattacharya, however, dismissed Gandhi’s remarks, saying, "The Congress itself doesn't pay heed to him. His own party doesn't take him seriously, and you are talking of Rahul Gandhi."