‘Kadhi Shetivar Ya Maharaj’: Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate Caught Playing Rummy During Assembly, Faces Backlash

Mumbai: Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate has ignited political outrage after being caught on camera allegedly playing an online rummy game on his phone while the state Legislative Assembly was in session. The visuals, which quickly went viral on social media, have triggered a storm of criticism from the Opposition, with questions raised about the government’s seriousness toward the ongoing agrarian crisis.

Leading the charge was NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Rohit Pawar, who shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter) and launched a scathing attack. “NCP (led by Ajit Pawar) cannot do anything without consulting the BJP. And therefore, when scores of farm issues are pending and every day eight farmers are ending their lives in Maharashtra, the agriculture minister does not seem to have any work and is spending time playing rummy,” he wrote.

“#जंगली_रमी_पे_आओ_ना_महाराज…!”

सत्तेतल्या राष्ट्रवादी गटाला भाजपला विचारल्याशिवाय काहीच करता येत नाही म्हणूनच शेतीचे असंख्य प्रश्न प्रलंबित असताना, राज्यात रोज ८ शेतकरी आत्महत्या करत असताना सुद्धा काही कामच नसल्याने कृषिमंत्र्यांवर रमी खेळण्याची वेळ येत असावी.

रस्ता भरकटलेल्या… pic.twitter.com/52jz7eTAtq

— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) July 20, 2025

Adding poetic sting to his criticism, Rohit further asked, “Will these misguided ministers and the government ever hear the desperate plea of farmers demanding crop insurance, loan waivers, and price support: ‘Kabhi garib kisaanon ki kheton par bhi aao na Maharaj?’”

Kokate, a legislator from Sinnar and part of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, has not issued a personal clarification yet. However, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar attempted to downplay the incident, stating, “The minister will be warned, but there is no law necessitating action against him for such activities.”

But the backlash continued to grow.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar hit out sharply, saying, “This is not the first time Minister Kokate has been caught on the wrong foot. Earlier, too, he was found making irresponsible statements. The way he is behaving is nothing but an insult to democracy.” She added, “There was a time when MLAs were held in high esteem, but today they are stooping low every day.”

Adding a satirical twist to the controversy, NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad shared a digitally edited image showing Kokate promoting a rummy game, with a mocking caption: “Farmers, forget guarantees… play rummy…”