India, Oct. 22 -- Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday denied the Rs.500-crore bribery allegations made against him by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, and sought an investigation into the matter. In response, Jarange-Patil said he would present evidence supporting his allegations at a press conference on Thursday.

Jarange-Patil had sparked a political row while addressing a Dussehra rally in Beed on Tuesday, when he claimed that the Shiv Sena chief had told a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader that he had paid the activist Rs.500 crore to pacify him during his agitation for Maratha reservation two years ago.

Shinde responded to the allegations while speaking to the media in Delhi on Wednesday. "I have nei...