Many deserve to be slapped publicly,but not Pawar: Sena

It said there were many leaders,both in the state and Delhi,who deserved such a treatment. Terming the incident as unfortunate and enraging,it said the manner in which a youth could enter a public function and attack a senior leader raised questions about the security provisions in Delhi.

There is an anger among people against the Congress and there could be violence in the streets if inflation and corruption continued,the first signs of which are apparent now. Recently,a shoe was thrown at Union Home Minister P Chidambaram,four youths disrupted Rahul Gandhi’s rally and someone tried to pelt eggs during senior BJP leader L K Advani’s yatra. The attack on Pawar was,however,a publicity stunt and not an expression of public anger,it said.

The editorial said days after social activist Anna Hazare asked for drunkards to be publicly flogged,the absolute opposite seems to be happening. Some “Gandhi topi” wearers might have been humoured by the attack on Pawar,but Maharashtra is hurt by such an attack on one of its leaders,it said.

It questioned why the assailant,Harvinder Singh,did not target the other leaders and how he got access to the function Pawar was attending. It also raised doubts whether it was not a tactic to divert attention from the differences in the Cabinet and logjam in Parliament.

The editorial said Pawar had given up the department of food and civil supplies and it was now being governed by a Congress leader K V Thomas. It held the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister also responsible for inflation.