Mumbai: Mumbai police have arrested Union Minister Narayan Rane over his remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

During his Jana samparka yatra, Mr. Rane said that he would have given a tight slap on Uddhav Thackeray for his "ignorance of the year India won Independence". Mr. Rane said that Thackeray did not know about the year of India's Independence. His objectionable remarks triggered widespread protest from the ruling Shiv Sena in Mumbai and demanded the arrest of Union minister.

Mr Rane was taken into custody by police in coastal Ratnagiri district, where he is traveling as part of the Jan Ashirwad Yatra, sources said.

Mr Rane, who joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet in July as Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, is the first Union Minister to be arrested in 20 years.

Soon after Rane's statement, ruling Shiv Sena condemned his statement and taken a protest march towards his residence and demanded his arrest.

Fight broken out as Sena members marching towards Narayan Rane’s residence. Sena workers have pelted stone at the BJP office in Nagpur on Tuesday morning.

Shiva Sena says that Mr. Rane, a former leader of Shiv Sena, is trying to impress BJP leaders by speaking against Uddhav Thackeray, and he is looking to create trouble in the state. 

Read: FIR against Narayan Rane for objectionable comment against Uddhav Thackeray

Mr. Rane has made objectionable remarks against his ex-party chief at a public meeting in Raigad held as part of the nationwide “ Jan Ashirwad Yatra” organized by BJP for news ministers in Narendra Modi cabinet. 

Shiv Sena youth morcha has put posters across the state using a slur to refer Mr. Rane as “ kombdi chor” ( chicken stealer), a reference to the poultry shop run by Mr. Rane in Chembur five decades ago before he was joining Shiv Sena.