Man tries to hurl shoe at Congress leader Dwivedi

The attacker, who was carrying an identity card with the name Sunil Kumar of Nav-Sanchar Patrika from Rajasthan, climbed on to the dais where Dwivedi was seated, removed his shoe and stopped short of hitting him with it. Kumar was not a regular media person covering the Congress beat.

The middle-aged man, wearing a striped T-shirt, was heard telling Dwivedi, "You cannot stop us from asking questions".

Congress workers and journalists overpowered the attacker, who was beaten up by irate Congress workers before being handed over to the police.

Dwivedi described the incident as a "pre-planned" attack, as he was to speak against Ramdev and his agitation. He said that the attack was at the behest of the Sangh Parivar.

This is the second such incident at the very same venue. Two years back another journalist, Jarnail Singh, had flung his shoe at Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, as he was not satisfied with the latter's answer on action taken against some leading Congress leaders for their role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Shah Nawaz Hussain of the Bharatiya Janata Party said that the people of India, including journalists, were upset with the manner in which the government has handled Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila ground on June 4.

Rajiv Shukla, senior leader of the Congress party and member of Rajya Sabha, said that the incident was designed to 'bring bad name to journalists. He was obviously sent by those who cannot hope to come to power through elections and who are making desperate attempts to destabilise this government with a motive to come to the power,' he said.