Angry reactions as Pawar attacked

Anna Hazare praises act, retracts words later.

Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar was on Thursday slapped at a public function by a man claiming to be angry with corruption and inflation. Virtually no one — except activist Anna Hazare, who amended his remark later — supported the attack.

“He got slapped! Only one slap?” was Hazare’s initial reaction to a group of journalists in Ralegaon Siddhi, who broke out in laughter at the reaction. But, coming out of the room later, he condemned the incident and said such acts of violence were not good.

“He (the attacker) may be very angry. This is not good. Anger is not good. Our constitution does not tell us to be violent with anyone,” Hazare told reporters.

However, there was no equivocation in the tone of political parties, all of whom condemned the attack strongly, including the BJP which said such violence was unwarranted. The Rajya Sabha had been adjourned earlier but MPs were seen on the floor of the House accessing details of the attack on tablet PCs. Many gesticulated to reporters in the press gallery to tell what had happened.

Pawar, who went to a literary function at a public auditorium on Parliament Street, was slapped by Harvinder Singh, a transporter in his thirties who had assaulted former telecom minister Sukhram outside a Rohini court on Saturday. Pawar lost his balance but remained unperturbed after the attack, walked towards the auditorium exit and got into a waiting car.

Security guards overpowered the attacker, who wielded a small kirpan, and an official landed some blows on him. "I came to the event to slap the minister," Singh told reporters covering the function.

Later, Pawar said it was a ‘stupid’ incident and he had left the matter to the police. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to him after the incident and condemned the attack.

In Mumbai, his party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), saw a bigger conspiracy and demanded a high-level probe. "How can Pawar be held responsible for price rise? Which forces are behind the attacker?" the NCP said.

Despite an appeal by Pawar, his nephew and state deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and daughter and party MP Supriya Sule for restraint, party leaders and members hit the streets and highways to express their anger. A few incidents were reported in parts of southern, western Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada, in which Sikh drivers were targeted by mobs while party members blocked roads. Pawar’s hometown, Baramati, came to a standstill as a bandh was called. Similar bandhs were observed in Mumbai's suburbs and other parts of Maharashtra.