Union Minister and Republican Party of India (Athawale) chief Ramdas Athawale, who was slapped by a man on Saturday, has said that someone furious and jealous of his growing popularity might have conspired against him.

Athawale was slapped by the worker of his party's youth wing Pravin Gosavi on Saturday night during an event in Ambarnath city here. Following the incident, Gosavi was thrashed by the public and later detained by the police.