Maha Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate Gets Sports Portfolio After He Caught Playing Rummy in Assembly
In a swift and politically charged move, Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister, Manikrao Kokate, was stripped of his crucial portfolio late on Thursday night after a video of him playing rummy on his mobile phone inside the state assembly went viral. Amidst a severe agrarian crisis in the state, the incident sparked widespread public and political outrage, forcing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to reassign Kokate to the Sports and Youth Welfare Ministry.
The controversy erupted when NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar shared a video showing Kokate engrossed in an online card game while the monsoon session was in progress. With farmer issues being a central point of discussion, the visuals were seen as a sign of gross disrespect and irresponsibility. The opposition immediately demanded Kokate’s resignation, cornering the government over the minister’s conduct.
In response, the Chief Minister’s office issued an order reallocating the portfolios. The key Agriculture Ministry has now been handed over to another NCP minister, Dattatray Bharane, who previously held the Sports and Youth Welfare post that Kokate will now manage. The government stated this was a clear message that mistakes by ministers would have severe consequences.
However, the decision to merely shuffle portfolios rather than remove Kokate from the cabinet has drawn sharp criticism and sarcasm from opposition leaders, who have labeled it an “eyewash.” Ambadas Danve, a leader from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, mockingly suggested that rummy should be declared the state sport and ministers should be officially allowed to carry cards into the Assembly.
This is not the first time Kokate has been embroiled in controversy; he has previously faced criticism for insensitive remarks about farmers. His casual behavior during a session focused on drought-like conditions has reignited questions about ministerial accountability. Activists and political opponents have questioned why he was not sacked, with some speculating that internal political pressures within the ruling coalition prevented a more stringent action. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti questioned if Kokate “holds any secrets that protect him,” insisting that only a full resignation would deliver justice to Maharashtra’s farmers.
