Maharashtra's Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate has been removed from his post after a video of him playing rummy in the assembly went viral. His controversial comments about farmers further added pressure for action.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has finally taken action against Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate after a string of controversies. Kokate has now been moved to the Sports and Youth Welfare Ministry. He will also handle Minority Development and Waqf. The Agriculture Department will now be led by Dattatraya Bharane, another leader from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
This major reshuffle comes after a video surfaced showing Kokate allegedly playing an online card game during a session of the state assembly. Kokate claims he was not playing rummy and was only trying to close a pop-up ad on his phone.
Ajit Pawar acted after pressure from Fadnavis
Sources in the government said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was upset with Kokate's actions and pushed for strict action. He reportedly told Ajit Pawar that Kokate's behaviour was hurting the image of the government, especially among farmers.
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A senior official said that while Kokate was not asked to resign, the agriculture department was taken away from him to send a strong message. The final decision was made after a meeting between CM Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
Kokate's remarks on farmers made things worse
Before the rummy video, Kokate had already drawn heavy criticism for his comments about farmers and government schemes.
While talking about crop insurance, Kokate had said, “Even beggars don’t take one rupee, but we gave crop insurance to farmers for one rupee. Some people misused the scheme.” The remark triggered outrage across the state.
He later tried to clarify, saying his words were misunderstood and that he meant the government was behaving like a beggar, not the farmers.
A history of controversial statements
This was not Kokate’s first time in trouble. In the past, he had said that many farmers don’t use government funds properly and instead spend the money on weddings and family functions.
He also once admitted there was corruption in some schemes but defended them by saying, “Two to four percent corruption does not mean the scheme should be stopped.”
In February, he and his brother were sentenced to two years in prison by a Nashik court for using fake documents to get flats under a government quota in the 1990s. Kokate is currently out on bail.
Pawar gives Kokate a warning, not removal
Despite all the controversies, Ajit Pawar did not remove Kokate from the cabinet entirely. He was warned and given a second chance. NCP leaders say Kokate apologised for his actions and promised there would be no more such incidents.
This reshuffle is being seen as a message from the Mahayuti government that repeated controversies will not be tolerated, especially at a time when the government is trying to rebuild trust with farmers.
