Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney on Tuesday submitted his resignation to the governor, PTI reported, a day after he was chided by the state government for suggesting the drought-hit Marathwada region should be a separate state. Aney had advocated separate statehood at an event in Jalna on Sunday, saying the region had faced grave injustice and its people should fight for their rights.

According to The Indian Express, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said, “The advocate general’s statement on Marathwada statehood cannot be endorsed by the government. As the AG, he represents the state government and should have restrained from expressing his personal views in public.”

The Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena created an uproar in the state Assembly soon after Aney’s comments, demanding that he be sacked immediately. Fadnavis said he would give a detailed statement in the Assembly on Tuesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party in the state needs to steer clear of controversy, especially with its uneasy ally Shiv Sena quick to jump at its throat.