Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday blamed Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for the “worrisome” situation in the border areas with Maharashtra and warned the state’s “patience” will take a different turn if attacks on vehicles entering the southern state from Maharashtra are not stopped in 24 hours.

He said the Karnataka government and the Centre will be responsible if law and order deteriorates. Pawar also said the time has come to take a stand in view of the situation in the areas on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. “Maharashtra has taken a stand of observing patience and it is still ready to do that. But even that has a limit. In 24 hours, if the attacks on vehicles are not stopped then this patience will take a different path and the responsibility will be completely on the Karnataka chief minister and the Karnataka government,” Pawar told reporters. Amid a raging border row between the two states, a video showed some people throwing stones at vehicles entering Karnataka from Maharashtra near a toll booth at Hirebaugwadi in Belagavi of the adjoining state.