Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde warned Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange not to test the patience of his government after the latter made accusations against Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of 'trying to kill' him.
Shinde reportedly said, "Those who are protesting again and again against the government must not test our patience. They should not create a law and order problem. I wonder why Jarange's speech looks like the script generally used by Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray."
Shinde was speaking to reporters on the eve of the session of the Maharashtra legislature when he was asked about Jarange's aggressive stand and the use of expletives in his speeches, Shinde said action would be taken as per law.
CM also added that "it is a conspiracy in progress and it would be exposed soon".
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday said he would march to Mumbai and protest outside the residence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who he accused of trying to kill him.
The announcement, made at the end of a speech of more than one hour in Antarwali Sarati in Jalna in which Jarange made several allegations against Fadnavis, took his supporters by surprise.
"Some people are being lured and pressured to make false allegations against me. Fadnavis is behind these conspiracies. He wants to kill me. I am ready to march to Sagar bungalow (Fadnavis' official residence in Mumbai's Malabar Hill) right away," Jarange said.
The announcement led to chaos at the site, where the activist's supporters had gathered in large numbers.
Even as some of them tried to take away his microphone, Jarange said he would march to Mumbai alone and all he needed was a stick for support.
Hitting back,BJP MLA Nitesh Rane warned Jarange that he would have to cross a "huge wall of party workers" to reach Fadnavis, adding that the quota activist was "now reading from a script".
"He should enter politics but he should not stoop low to make such allegations against Fadnavis," Rane said.
Mumbai BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said Jarange's "true face" was now in the open for all to see.
"The Maharashtra government has given 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community (through a bill passed in the Legislature on February 20). Why is he continuing to protest? Fadnavis was CM for five years and everyone knows him. His image is not going to be affected by Jarange's allegations," Bhatkhalkar said.
