New Delhi: Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, who was slapped by a young man in New Delhi on November 24, has hit back at anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare for supporting the attack on him.
"By supporting the attack on me, Anna has supported violence and has given new definition of Gandhism and non-violence. Anna has hatred against me. Next time, if someone attacks me physically, there will be no need to explain who has instigated him," said Pawar on Wednesday.
Hazare had joked and asked if Pawar had been slapped just once a few hours after tyhe attcak on the Union minister. On Tuesday he again accused Pawar of persisting with his "old habit of protecting corrupt people" even as he once again virtually justified the recent attack on the NCP chief, evoking a sharp reaction from the party.
Hazare alleged that Pawar turned a blind eye to a number of corruption cases. "If an inquiry is ordered, it will become clear who has been responsible. This shows that Sharad Pawar has an old habit of protecting corrupt people," he said.
Referring to the November 24 incident in Delhi when a youth slapped Pawar as he merged from a function, Hazare acknowledged that he "committed violence" when he made the infamous remark "just one slap" but said he did not consider this violence as wrong.
"For the betterment of the society and the country, I have used strong words many times in the past. "Just One Slap?" I admit that I committed violence when I said that.
But for the betterment of society, I do not consider this violence as wrong," Hazare posted on his blog.
"Many politicians felt very bad about the slapping incident. Many of them got very angry also. But it is important to discuss as to why did that youth slap," he said.
"Sharad Pawar is the agriculture minister at the centre and the power minister of the state is from his own party (NCP). Today after 22 years, the electric pumps of the farmers still get burnt due to low voltage, the crops get burnt, the transformers get burnt, but the politicians still don't get angry. This is unfortunate," Hazare said.
"The farmers protested at Mawal near Pune. They were shot at. Three farmers died. But the politicians still did not get angry about it," he said.
As Agriculture Minister, Pawar imported rotten wheat and since it was not edible, the wheat was buried in huge pits, he said, adding crores of public money was wasted but none of the politicians got angry about it.
NCP leadership was quick to term Hazare's tirade as uncalled for and even irrelevant. "There was no need for Hazare to comment on the issue despite the fact that his earlier comments on the (slapping) incident had evoked sharp reaction. We do not know why is he raking up the issue?," NCP MLA Jitendra Avhad told in Mumbai.
(With additional information from PTI)
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