"People Point Fingers At Me": Eknath Shinde To Party Leaders Amid Row

The slapgate over dal in Maharashtra apparently has drawn strong response from Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who warned his party leaders that they should consider themselves "workers" first and foremost, keep a firm control on their tempers and "not let success go to their heads".  Mr Shinde heads the Shiv Sena, a party that landed in controversy recently after its legislator from Buldhana, Sanjay Gaikwad, assaulted a staff member of the MLA canteen, accusing him of serving stale food.

Sources who attended a party meeting in Dadar today, said Mr Shinde had delivered a strong and clear message. "In the past few days, certain incidents have taken place... People don't point fingers at you - they point at me for what you do. They ask me: 'What are your MLAs up to?" the sources quoted him as saying.  "You all are my people. We are one family. Your disrepute is my disrepute. Don't waste your energy on unnecessary matters. Speak less, work more," he had also added, sources said.  The Deputy Chief Minister, they said, had also issued a veiled warning.