Sack Prashant Bhushan in 24 hours, Shiv Sena tells Team Anna

The Shiv Sena Friday demanded that Team Anna "sack" senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan for his "anti-India remarks" within 24 hours, a party official said.

Party spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut told media-persons that Bhushan’s "treacherous" statements on Jammu and Kashmir cannot be tolerated and Team Anna should first sack him from its organization. “After this, the union home ministry should book him for treachery and initiate appropriate proceedings against him,” Raut demanded.

His statement came after Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray lauded the persons who assaulted Bhushan in his Supreme Court chamber last Wednesday. The attack was in retaliation to Bhushan’s comments advocating ‘plebiscite’ in Kashmir, which has raked up a controversy. Thackeray also said that if Bhushan is a lawyer why is he ‘representing’ Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

The 74-year old Anna Hazare responded by distancing himself from Bhushan’s controversial comments and reiterating that Kashmir was “an integral part” of India.

“Kashmir is an integral part of India. Bhushan has given his personal opinion and Team Anna is not in agreement with the views,” Hazare told media-persons in his native village Ralegan-Siddhi.

Later, Team Anna, while stressing that Bhushan was airing his personal views on Kashmir, denied any moves to remove him from the anti-corruption panel.