A new controversy has arisen in Maharashtra politics. State Agriculture Minister, Manikrao Kokate, came under target of the opposition when a video of him went viral on social media. In this video, the minister is seen playing Rumi online on his mobile phone during the assembly session. The incident has created a political storm in the state facing a serious agrarian crisis.
What is the whole matter?
This video, which is becoming increasingly viral on social media, has been shared by the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar. Rohit Pawar, who is the grandson of party chief Sharad Pawar, made a scathing attack on the minister and the government on the incident. He alleged that when the state is struggling with serious problems like countless agricultural issues and suicide of eight farmers per day, this attitude of the Agriculture Minister is very insensitive at such a time.
Rohit Pawar posted on X (first Twitter), ‘Since the ruling nationalist group cannot do anything without consulting the BJP, and countless agricultural issues are pending in the state, it takes time to play Rami. He joined the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar and surrounded the Representative Cocate of Sinar assembly constituency and asked, ‘Will these misleading ministers and government ever listen to the frustrated request of farmers demanding crop insurance, loan waiver and price support? Ever come to the fields of poor farmers, Maharaj? ‘
In the video, the Kokate assembly is clearly visible while playing ‘Rami’ game, which has raised questions on the priorities of the government amidst the current plight of farmers.
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Minister cleaned
However, Manikrao Kokate made a strange argument in his defense. He said that someone had downloaded the game on his phone, which he was only trying to shut down. He said, ‘The upper house was postponed, so I wanted to see what is happening in the lower house. I took out my phone to open YouTube. Someone had downloaded the game on my phone. I picked up the phone to leave the game, and then someone recorded the video. I left the game only. The full video should come. Only a small clip has been viral. This is a trick of the opposition, but their tricks will never succeed. ‘
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Opposition’s sharp reaction
The opposition has dismissed this rescue of the minister outright. NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule demanded the resignation of Minister Manikrao Kokate on the incident. He also questioned the government’s double standards, saying that the government claims to tighten the online gaming that ruined the families, while one of his ministers himself was seen playing Rami during the assembly session. Sule said, ‘750 farmers have committed suicide in three months and Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister is playing these games. They should resign for this inferior act; Otherwise, the Chief Minister should remove them.
Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, also targeted the minister, saying, “The farmers of Maharashtra are in crisis today – some areas have been ruined due to excessive rains, while some areas are receiving less rain, due to which farmers are very worried. Nevertheless, the State Agriculture Minister is showing insensitivity. Such an agricultural minister should remove from the post of minister for at least one month.
In the same sequence, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Jitendra Awhad posted a satirical graphic, making fun of cocate, in which he is shown promoting Rami game, which is titled, ‘Forget the guarantee … Rumi play …