UNION AGRICULTURE MINISTER SHARAD PAWAR ATTACKED

UNION AGRICULTURE MINISTER

SHARAD PAWAR ATTACKED

Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was assaulted on Thursday,24^th  November,2011, by a youth. The youth had attacked the former Telecom Minister, Sukh Ram, last week.  The incident occurred as Mr. Pawar, 71, was walking down the steps of a New Delhi Municipal Council auditorium after participating in a literary function. The youth broke away from a group of journalists and hit the Minister on his face. The Maratha strongman lost his balance but quickly regained his composure and walked towards his car. The youth was identified as Harvinder Singh, a transporter from Rohini. He was overpowered by some journalists and private security guards. Raising anti-corruption slogans, he brandished a sharp object. He was arrested by the Connaught Place police and charged with voluntarily causing hurt, assault, criminal intimidation, using force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty and attempt to commit suicide.

Later, Mr. Pawar told journalists that the youth was shouting that he had a mission to target political leaders. Asked if he had forgiven his attacker, he said: “Who am I to forgive? I am not a judge and I am not saying anything good or bad about him. I have no enemies now nor will I have in the future. I can't say why this attempt was made [on me].'' Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was among the first to speak to Mr. Pawar on the phone. “The Prime Minister regrets the increasing tendency to take recourse to violent means to express disagreement,'' said a statement issued by the media adviser to the Prime Minister.

The attack on Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Thursday sparked protests in Maharashtra, especially in the western region. In spite of Mr. Pawar appealing to the people to maintain peace, NCP Pune city unit president Vandana Chavan declared that a bandh would be observed in the city on Friday to condemn the attack. “This is a spontaneous reaction by party workers,” Ms. Chavan said, when asked why Mr Pawar's orders were not being followed. Rasta roko were held in various parts, including Mr. Pawar's hometown Baramati in Pune district. NCP workers burnt tyres and staged protests in Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik and Solapur districts, disrupting traffic in several pockets.

Baramati witnessed a bandh, with NCP workers taking to the streets, urging shop-keepers to down the shutters. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Thursday reiterated Mr. Pawar's appeal to avoid violence in the State. He told journalists in Nagpur, “I strongly condemn the attack. However, I request people to maintain peace. There is no need to stage protests.”

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare condemned the attack, but only as a clarification of his earlier statement in which he said, “He [Sharad Pawar] got slapped! Only one slap?” before walking into his room in his hometown Ralegan Siddhi.  Speaking to journalists later in the day, Mr. Hazare said, “I understand the youth's anger. Corruption and price rise has made life difficult. But there is no place for violence in democracy. Our Constitution does not tell us to be violent with anyone.” Asked about his earlier comment, Mr. Hazare said, “I was asking them if he [Mr. Pawar] was only slapped or anything else had happened to him.” He said that he was speaking to the people gathered to meet him, and not to the media. Speaking to a news channel later in the evening, he said the attack was against principles of democracy. “It was not a slap on Mr. Pawar's face but a slap on democracy.”

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has appealed to the citizens to maintain calm. He called for strengthening the security for political leaders and stressed on using democratic means to resolve issues. “I deplore the cowardly attack on Mr. Pawar, a senior Minister at the Centre and a State-level leader. It is entirely regrettable, particularly when the same person had led a similar attack on a political leader [the former Telecom Minister, Sukhram]. The fact that he was not apprehended and allowed to come near political leaders is a serious breach of security. Strict action should be taken against the assailant,” Mr. Chavan said on Thursday. Deputy Chief Minister and Mr. Pawar's nephew, Ajit Pawar, called upon the people to denounce the attack in a peaceful manner. 

                                                               Prof. John Kurakar