Congress condemns Prashant Bhushan's remarks

NEW DELHI: Amid the turmoil in Team Anna on the issue, Congress on Friday condemned Prashant Bhushan's advocacy of plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, declaring that the state was an integral part of India and there can be "no second thought" in the matter.

At the same time, party spokesman Rashid Alvi also condemned the assault on Bhushan for the remarks and Shivsena supremo Bal Thackeray's praise for the attackers.

"The talk of referendum is condemnable. Jammu and Kashmir is part of India and there can be no second thought...," he said.

Noting that there have been regular elections in the sensitive border state, he said people have brought to power governments of different parties as per their own will.

On the attack on Bhushan, the spokesman said that it was not proper for anyone to take the law in their hand. He said that the support of Thackeray to the attackers was not in the interest of the country and democracy.

Alvi sought to ignore Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal's contention that the government was attempting to divert attention from the core issue of Lokpal by raising the matter of Bhushan's remarks on Kashmir.