MUMBAI, Aug. 31 -- Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange -Patil on Sunday locked horns with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde over a farmers' rally in Parbhani organised by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Jadhav. Jarange-Patil had warned Shinde not to attend the event or "face the consequences" but Shinde went ahead with the rally nevertheless. In an attempt to pacify the activist, Shinde said that the Mahayuti government understood his "deep concern" about the Maratha reservation issue and was committed to ensuring justice for the community without affecting the existing OBC quota. State industries minister Uday Samant, who is part of the team holding discussions with Jarange-Patil, said the government hoped to find an acceptable solution within 24 hours. Jarange-Patil, who resumed his indefinite hunger strike on Saturday, called Jadhav on Sunday morning and urged him to cancel the farmers' rally. He ordered that Shinde should not travel to Parbhani while the Maratha community was engaged in its struggle and also threatened that if this happened, he would head to Parbhani himself. Jadhav initially sought time, but later made it clear that the rally could not be cancelled at the last moment. Addressing the gathering, he said that Jarange-Patil had every right to criticise him, and asserted that he and Shinde would continue to stand by him. An irate Jarange-Patil threatened that Shinde could "face trouble" because of Jadhav's decision but eventually did not travel to Parbhani, citing a potential law-and-order situation. He said he did not want Maratha activists to expend their energy in such a confrontation and wanted to conserve their strength for the larger battle with the government, including possible protests in Mumbai. When Shinde reached Parbhani for the scheduled rally, protests were staged by Jarange-Patil's supporters, some of whom were detained by the police. During Shinde's speech too, some activists raised slogans and displayed black flags. However, when the police attempted to intervene, Shinde stopped them. "These are our own people. Don't stop them. Let them come to the stage," Shinde said from the dais. Explaining his decision to attend the rally, Shinde said cancelling it at the last moment was not possible as preparations had been underway for over two months. The deputy CM also praised Jarange-Patil for his efforts on the Maratha reservation issue and said the government understood his concerns. Shinde recalled that both his own Shiv Sena-BJP government as well as the BJP government led by Devendra Fadnavis between 2014 and 2019 had worked towards providing reservation to the Maratha community. Shinde's speech was cut short after the microphone system developed a technical snag. He then left the stage and went into the crowd to meet people....