Decision on Maha Agriculture Minister's resignation soon: State NCP chief

Mumbai, July 21 (IANS) Maharashtra NCP chief Sunil Tatkare on Monday hinted that the party president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will decide on the resignation of the Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate soon, whose purported viral video about playing rummy on his mobile phone during the just concluded monsoon session of the state legislature.

The Chhava Sanghatana, a non-profit organisation, has already demanded Kokate’s resignation for his apathy towards farmers, while it has organised impromptu protests across the state against the minister by playing cards on the main roads or opposite the NCP’s offices.

Shiv Sena UBT also held a protest by playing cards, demanding the resignation of Kokate. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP asked Ajit Pawar when he is going to take Kokate’s resignation.

Tatkare, who was in Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad), has expressed strong displeasure over Kokate’s video, saying that “When farmers are in trouble, the Agriculture Minister should be working to address their problems. What he did was wrong. The party chief will take the right decision about Kokate.”

He also pointed out that he was not at all convinced by Kokate’s clarification. Tatkare has thereby put the ball in Ajit Pawar’s court.

Under attack from Chhava Sanghatana and opposition parties, Kokate blamed the NCP SP legislator Rohit Pawar for allegedly uploading half a video on social media.

In his clarification, he said, “ As the state council was adjourned, he started his mobile to check on YouTube what was happening in the state assembly. While doing so, several advertisements came across which needed to be skipped. What was uploaded on social media was for 18 seconds and not full. The opposition talks about my clothes or about my car. But they never talk about my policy decisions taken by me or a slew of measures taken for the development of agriculture and the welfare of farmers. I am very straightforward. Why should I play cards? No question of playing cards.”

However, state NCP SP women's wing chief Rohini Khadse asked what is stopping Ajit Pawar from taking Kokate’s resignation.

In her video post on X, she said, “Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has accepted the resignation of the youth state president who had gone out of control (in assaulting the Chhava Organisation activists after they sought Kokate’s resignation and threw playing cards in front of state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare during his visit at Latur), which is a welcome move. However, he should not resort to a superficial solution like satisfying hunger for milk with buttermilk. Sacrificing only a small fish to save a big, favoured fish will not suffice. We demand that Ajitdada also take the resignation of the arrogant Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate. Because this issue started with him. Therefore, the resignation of a minister who is irresponsible and disrespects the assembly and farmers should also be taken.”

This is not the first time that Kokate courted controversy. In February this year, the Nashik District Court had sentenced Manikrao Kokate and his brother Vijay Kokate to two years in prison in the case pertaining to submitting fake documents to get flats under a government quota.

Kokate was accused of forgery and committing fraud while obtaining flats for the economically weaker sections under the quota of then MLAs and MPs. Former minister Tukaram Dighole had filed a complaint against him in 1995.

According to the current legal provisions, if any elected representative is sentenced to two years or more, their MLAship can be cancelled. However, Kokate saved both his ministerial and MLA posts after the court stayed the sentence.

Earlier, Kokate had sparked outrage over his remarks about farmers. “Even a beggar does not take a single rupee; but here we provide crop insurance for just one rupee, yet some people try to take advantage of it,” he said and alleged that applicants from other states were abusing the scheme.

In April, Kokate again made a controversial statement, accusing farmers of deliberately defaulting on crop loans. “You take loans and then don’t repay them for five to ten years because you think the government will waive them off. Farmers are no longer investing in agriculture. The government provides assistance for everything from drip irrigation to ponds and pipelines,” he had said.

Thereafter, he sparked another row after he made a statement about what is to be assessed in the fields during panchnama when everything is washed away due to unseasonal rains and flooding.

NCP chief Ajit Pawar and senior leadership had reprimanded Kokate, asking him to avoid making such controversial statements.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut slammed Kokate, saying, "Maharashtra is being governed in an inhumane manner. More than 650 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra in the last three months. A few days ago, two farmers walked from Latur to Mumbai to get their issues addressed. Our Agriculture Minister does not have time to pay attention to their issues. If you look at his statements, you will know what contribution the government has made to the agriculture sector.”

--IANS

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