The attack on senior Supreme Court advocate, human rights and anti-corruption activist, Prashant Bhushan, in his chamber in the court premises, by three youngmen reportedly belonging to Ram Sena and Bhagat Singh Sena, on October 12 afternoon, has been widely condemned. He was beaten up and kicked for his recent remarks made in Varanasi supporting plebiscite in J&K. There can be no two opinions that violence is unaccepetable in a democratic society to settle differences of opinion.
It is true that Prashant Bhushan, who is a leading member of the Team Anna in its anti-corruption campaign, has a dubious record of advocating the cause of Maoist terrorists, terrorism convicts like Afzal Guru and being in the league of anti-national activists like Arundhati Roy; his statement supporting the Kashmiri separatists' and Pakistani call for a referendum which amounts to championing the breaking away of J&K from being an integral part of India, had outraged a vast majority of Indians, including Anna's adherents. No wonder, the Ralegan Sidhi nationalist leader Anna Hazare who had started his movement with the slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Matram", has distanced himself from his associate's anti-Indian obervations on Kashmir. He told Bhushan that he did not approve of his views on Kashmir which he regarded as an indivisible part of India. Prashant may hold any opinions as an individual but he cannot express them at Anna Hazare's platforms. His movement is confined to the anti-corruption issue and the Lokpal bill.
But, it is clear that taking law into one's hands is not the right method to show disapproval or indignation. Peaceful protests could have been staged to challenge Bhushan's viewpoint; there are social networking websites to air one's opposition to Bhushan's statement. However, while unequivocally condemning the fringe group of hotheads who beat up Bhushan, one has to remind left-liberal human rightists-the Arundhati Roy-type anti-Indians-to look within for their provocative postures on Maoist violence, terrorist convicts and treacherous Kashmiri separatists and Azadiwalas.
It is true that Prashant Bhushan, who is a leading member of the Team Anna in its anti-corruption campaign, has a dubious record of advocating the cause of Maoist terrorists, terrorism convicts like Afzal Guru and being in the league of anti-national activists like Arundhati Roy; his statement supporting the Kashmiri separatists' and Pakistani call for a referendum which amounts to championing the breaking away of J&K from being an integral part of India, had outraged a vast majority of Indians, including Anna's adherents. No wonder, the Ralegan Sidhi nationalist leader Anna Hazare who had started his movement with the slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Matram", has distanced himself from his associate's anti-Indian obervations on Kashmir. He told Bhushan that he did not approve of his views on Kashmir which he regarded as an indivisible part of India. Prashant may hold any opinions as an individual but he cannot express them at Anna Hazare's platforms. His movement is confined to the anti-corruption issue and the Lokpal bill.
But, it is clear that taking law into one's hands is not the right method to show disapproval or indignation. Peaceful protests could have been staged to challenge Bhushan's viewpoint; there are social networking websites to air one's opposition to Bhushan's statement. However, while unequivocally condemning the fringe group of hotheads who beat up Bhushan, one has to remind left-liberal human rightists-the Arundhati Roy-type anti-Indians-to look within for their provocative postures on Maoist violence, terrorist convicts and treacherous Kashmiri separatists and Azadiwalas.
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