‘Why Just Padma Bhushan? Give Gyanesh Kumar Bharat Ratna’: Omar Abdullah’s Jibe At CEC

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday took a sarcastic dig at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying he should be awarded the Bharat Ratna or made President of India amid the ongoing controversy over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Abdullah said the Election Commission of India should “do some soul-searching” amid criticism over its functioning. His remarks came after reports of differences within the poll panel over decisions related to the SIR exercise.

“Why stop at Padma Bhushan? 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,” Abdullah said.

His remarks were a response to recent comments by West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, who said Kumar deserved “at the very least” the Padma Bhushan for his role in overseeing the state Assembly elections and changes to electoral rolls.

‘ECI Should Do Some Soul-Searching’

Speaking to reporters, Abdullah said criticism of the Election Commission was not without reason and referred to a report by The Indian Express about objections reportedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over SIR-related decisions.

“Opposition parties are against the Election Commission, it is not happening without any reason… the proofs were not presented by any political party but a newspaper,” Abdullah said.

The Indian Express has reported that the two Election Commissioners raised objections multiple times over the past 10 months regarding SIR-related decisions and orders that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation. The report has become part of a wider political dispute over the functioning of the poll panel.

BJP Leader Had Called For Padma Bhushan

Bhattacharya had defended Gyanesh Kumar amid criticism of the Election Commission and said the CEC deserved the Padma Bhushan.

He credited Kumar with ensuring that voters could cast their ballots without intimidation during the West Bengal Assembly elections and praised the revision of electoral rolls. His comments came as opposition parties stepped up criticism of the Election Commission over the SIR exercise.

The Padma Bhushan is India’s third-highest civilian award.

SIR Row And Election Commission

The dispute over the SIR exercise has intensified in recent weeks, with opposition parties questioning the Election Commission’s functioning and demanding greater transparency.

The Election Commission has maintained that its actions are within the law, while the reported differences among election commissioners have added to the political debate. The Supreme Court has also agreed to hear a petition challenging aspects of the CEC’s functioning and the legality of the SIR process.