BJP slams State Depart's remarks on Anna

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) India's principal opposition
party BJP Friday slammed the remarks of a the US State
Department on Anna Hazare, saying no country has any right or
authoriuty to advise India on how it handles protests.
"...India is a sovereign country and no country,
including the US, has got any right or authoriuty to advise
India as to how to handle the situation," Bhartiya Janta
Party(BJP) chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said here.
He said the Indian democratic polity "with a vibrant
Opposition led by BJP" is capable enough to handle all such
situations in a constitutional manner consistent with
democratic principles.
Prasad said his party feels Anna Hazare is articulating
the concerns and distress of the people of India over a series
of scams under ther United Progressive Alliance(UPA)
government. "BJP itself is strongly campaigning against it
both inside and outside Parliament," he added.
Ahead of Hazare's proposed August 16 fast, State
Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in Washington
that "as you know, we support the right of peaceful,
non-violent protest around the world. That said, India is a
democracy and we count on India to exercise appropriate
democratic restraint in the way it deals with peaceful
protest".