India's Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar attacked by a youth

New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) Breaking into a group of officials and journalists, a youth Thursday attacked India's Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar after a public event here shouting slogans against corruption and price rise. The 71-year-old Pawar, who went to a literary function at a public auditorium, was caught unawares when he was slapped by Harvinder Singh, a local transporter in his thirties who had also assaulted former Indian Telecom Minister Sukh Ram outside a court in the capital on Saturday after he was sentenced in a corruption case. Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party in the ruling Indian UPA coalition, lost his balance for a moment but regained composure after the assault, moved towards the exit of the auditorium and got into his waiting car. Private security guards immediately overpowered the youth who was shouting "he is corrupt". "I came planned to the event to slap the minister," Singh told reporters who had gone to cover the literary function. "All of them are corrupt," he shouted as he was removed by the security guards and policemen. Pawar, who is also the president of the international cricket body ICC, termed the incident stupid and that he did not make much out of it. When asked whether he would press charges against the attacker, he said it was for police to deal with the matter. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Pawar after the incident and condemned the attack. Leaders cutting across political lines condemned the attack saying it cannot be tolerated in a democracy. PTI Caption for pic: Activists of India's Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) blocking the Sion-Panvel highway in Navi Mumbai (New Bombay) that leads to Mumbai-Pune expressway on Thursday against attack on Pawar in New Delhi earlier in the day. PTI Photo