A massive political row erupted in Maharashtra on Sunday after state Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate was allegedly caught playing rummy game on his mobile phone in the state legislative assembly.
A purported video of Kokate playing a game was shared by the NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar.
Meanwhile, Supriya Sule criticised Kokate and demanded his resignation.
“It is shameful that the agriculture minister is busy gaming online while farmers are committing suicide. Manikrao Kokate must resign,” said Supriya Sule.
The purported video has gone viral when thousands of farmers, majorly from the Vidarbha region have been impacted due to widespread floods.
Minister responds to criticism
Reacting to the criticism, Manikrao Kokate said that the game was not Rummy, but solitaire, claimung that the opposition is trying to deman the government.
“It is a solitaire game, not Rummy. Any of my colleagues must have downloaded it. I was trying to see what was happening in the lower house. I was not playing Rummy. The opposition is trying to demean the government,” Manikrao Kokate told reporters.
Rohit Pawar takes a swipe at Agriculture Minister
NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction MLA Rohit Pawar also took a sharp jab at Kokate, and the ruling NCP faction in Maharashtra — claiming that it is unable to function without consulting the BJP.
“The ruling NCP faction is unable to function without consulting the BJP, which is why even as there are several issues related to agriculture pending and eight farmers committing suicide daily in the state, the agriculture minister, who has no work, appears to have time to play rummy,” Rohit Pawar posted on X.
‘Really keep such a minister?’
Adding to the series of jabs at Manikrao Kokate, Congress leader Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar said, "If a minister plays rummy inside the Assembly, it clearly shows he has no respect or seriousness for the dignity of his position. Should the Chief Minister really keep such a minister? That’s the question..."
Maharashtra farmers' suicide
Earlier this month, the Maharashtra government revealed that 767 farmers in the state died by suicide during the first quarter of 2025, highlighting a deepening crisis in the agricultural sector, reported India Today.
Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Jadhav Patil, in a written response to the Legislative Council, addressed concerns raised by opposition MLCs Dr Pradnya Rajeev Satav, Satej Patil, and Bhai Jagtap regarding the rise in suicide numbers and the delay in compensation.
Earlier this week, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said the Mahayuti government is committed to give a loan waiver to farmers. "A loan waiver is a short-term measure. We have set up a committee to suggest long-term solutions to resolve agriculture stress and bring farmers out of debt," he said.
