{
  "id": 9926271,
  "title": "'Padma Bhushan small thing, make him PM': Cong mocks BJP Bengal chief's praise for CEC",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/padma-bhushan-small-thing-make-him-pm-cong-mocks-bjp-bengal-chiefs",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-26T06:23:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/padma-bhushan-small-thing-make-him-pm-cong-mocks-bjp-bengal-chiefs-praise-for-cec/articleshow/134498800.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Congress leader Pawan Khera responded to West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya's praise for Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday. Bhattacharya had earlier hailed Kumar for deserving the Padma Bhushan award for conducting the recent West Bengal assembly election and purifying the voter list, crediting him for ensuring a violence-free poll and removing illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from the rolls. Khera scoffed at the Padma Bhushan as \"a very small thing\" and suggested Kumar should instead become the Prime Minister, arguing that someone capable of elevating others to high office should ascend to that role themselves.",
  "summary": "Congress leader Pawan Khera mocked West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya’s praise for CEC Gyanesh Kumar, saying, \"The Padma Bhushan is a very small thing. Make him the Prime Minister.\" Bhattacharya credited Kumar with a violence-free election and voter roll revision, amid Opposition criticism and a Supreme Court plea over the SIR exercise and alleged Election Commission decisions.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "Congress's ridicule of BJP's praise for an Election Commissioner implies that the saffron party's appreciation may be seen as an attempt to curry favour with a potential future leader.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}