What he said "is not right, Kashmir is inseparable part of India"
The blows rained on Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan by thugs from the Sri Ram Sena had a distant echo in Ralegan Siddhi, Maharashtra with Anna Hazare telling reporters on Friday that he did not agree with Mr. Bhushan's views on Kashmir.
“Prashant Bhushan did not ask anyone in the team before making the statement [on a referendum being one way to solve the Kashmir problem]. Those are his personal views,” the anti-corruption activist said in his hometown.
Mr. Bhushan’s remarks were the ostensible “reason” given by the Ram Sena goons for assaulting him in his Supreme Court chambers on Wednesday.
At the same time, Mr. Hazare made it clear that he did not agree with Mr. Bhushan. “What [he] has said is not right. We do not agree with what he is saying,” he stated. However, when asked if this difference of opinion would result in Mr. Bhushan being asked to step out of Team Anna, he replied: “If anyone needs to be removed from the team, the core committee will decide together.” Much speculation ensued in the media when he said this, following which Mr. Hazare added: “I don’t think Mr. Bhushan must be removed on this issue.”
He emphasised that rooting out corruption from the country, and fighting for the Jan Lokpal Bill was Team Anna’s sole agenda. “We will not talk about any other issue.”
However, when asked about his opinion on the Kashmir issue, Mr. Hazare said, “Kashmir is an important, inseparable part of India, and having any other opinion about this is not acceptable. I am ready to give my life for Kashmir.”
Meeting separately in the Capital, Team Anna members also distanced themselves from Mr. Bhushan’s remarks but insisted he is, and will remain, part of the core group.
The Anna core group’s resolution on Kashmir said it was committed to the integrity and unity of India, of which Kashmir was an integral part. It further said the Kashmir issue was complex and a solution needed to be found “within the framework of the Constitution” through a dialogue.
It also noted Mr. Bhushan’s immense contribution to the anti-corruption agitation and said it was proud of his association with the team of which he continued to be a member.
The meeting was held in the absence of Mr. Hazare, who was in Ralegan Siddhi, and Mr. Bhushan and Kiran Bedi, both of whom are abroad. Mr. Bhushan’s father, Shanti Bhushan, and Arvind Kejriwal were present at the meeting.
Mr. Kejriwal told reporters he suspected the attack on Mr. Bhushan a couple of days ago and other members on Thursday was a well-planned conspiracy and it had nothing to do with Mr. Bhushan’s statement on the Kashmir issue.
Mr. Kejriwal said he talked to Mr. Hazare, who denied having cast any doubts about Mr. Bhushan’s continued association with the team.
The controversy immediately prompted the Bharatiya Janata Party to claim Mr. Hazare had “endorsed” the party’s views on Kashmir. Party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said: “We are grateful to Anna for espousing the BJP’s views on Kashmir. We have always maintained Kashmir is an integral part of India and he has reiterated this. We are grateful to him.”
As for the efforts being made by Mr. Hazare and his team members to deny they got any help from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for their anti-corruption agitation, Mr. Rudy said, “Even Jayaprakash Narayan initially had similar reservations about the RSS,” but had later described it as a “patriotic” organisation.
Keywords: Prashant Bhushan attacked, Anna Hazare reaction, Kashmir issue, Team Anna, RSS links, BJP
Since 1948 the plebecite problem in J&k is there and no one gives importance to it since pakistan did not adhere to the UN resoultion, so if any citizen of INDIA gives his views should not be taken as a gospel truth and goons engaged by people who are opposed to Sri Bhushan should be allowed to go on rampage. This is a sorry state of affair and such thing will happen only Autocratic state. The court will take cognisance and will punish the culprits. Jai Hind
It's realy shameful to see the way people were treating the personal view of a the citizen of INDIA which is a democratic country.It's against the constitutional right of a citizen of this NATION.
Every citizen of India has freedom of speech but that is with REASONABLE RESTRICTIONS [Article 19[2]of Constitution].No body can make statements against the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of the nation. It is punishable under various laws of the country.Mr. Prasant has committed blunder.He should be punished according to the process of law.
If a couple of Anna's team members entered a roadside cafe and while one ordered coffee the the other ordered tea, a reporter who happens to be around reports 'rift in Anna's team'.
Team Anna should concentrate only on corruption issue and canvass against corruption and indiviudal view should not be associated with the campaign. People supported Anna for the fight against corruption and that should not be lost due to internal differences nor made use of for any individual gains or publicity.
I support Santhosh Hegde. He is right. When one is fighting corruption, please concentrate on that.If you are going to fight the electoral system, it is another issue, which will deviate from Corruption. Kashmir is another issue. Anna is above Parliament is another issue. If you jump into so many issues you deviate from the original issue fighting Corruption. Please concentrate on fighting corruption.
If a choice is given to people between corruption and plebiscite in J&K, Indians choose corruption. If J&K becomes an independent country, then so is Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and essentially breaking up the very foundation on which India is formed. People's grievences need to be addressed across India and not just in J&K. Bhushan can express his views but not at the expense of anti-corruption movement and not at the expense of dismantling India. Any such utterances will inevitably destroys Anna Team.
I have lot of respect for you Annajee, but when you say, "I am ready to give my life for Kashmir” I don't understand who is asking you to give your life! On the contrary lives of Kashmiri's have been taken away - day in day out - for past 60 years, and we as Indians have done nothing about it but for ranting 'Kashmir is inseparable part of India', why did we forget about the 'kashmiris' the people! Sorry to learn about your ignorant stance to the plight of people in Kashmir.
All these politicians are nothing but bunch of thugs. Politician are over here just to spread communal violence. Nobody ever talks about good things done by team anna, or how things can be done better in our country. All politicians know, if they support Team Anna in Janlokpal Bill, its like their invitation to vacate the seat and some of them possibly to jail. Go Team Anna hum tumhare saat hai.
In my perspective, UPA is trying to play vote-bank politics. However, they are still to come in terms with the reality that Kashmir is non-negotiable in terms of strategy and integrity. The problem is not an issue if the Govt. stops playing minority politics and stop putting a 'Gandhian' Facade. The solution to the problem is a combination of socio-political, Covert-Overt actions both in our soil and the source of the disturbance. The socio-political front apart from improving the living status should showcase the benefits of unity and wean the populace from Separatists' agenda. The other operations should aim at weakening the source of support and encouragement for the separatists. The more and more the GoI give in for vote-bank politics, people like Bhushan would likely to get bashed by nationalistic youths... The source of the problem is not people like Mr. Bhushan but the divisive politics of the UPA.
The diversity of interpretations and explanations in India is incomprehensible.
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