Is Maharashtra Minister Manikrao Kokate Guilty of Playing Rummy?

Nashik, July 22 (NationPress) Amid growing calls for his resignation from opposition parties and farmer organizations following a viral video allegedly showing him playing rummy in the legislature, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate has firmly denied the claims. He has requested a comprehensive investigation into the allegations and stated he would resign if found guilty. Additionally, he threatened to pursue a defamation lawsuit against those making the accusations.

Kokate plans to address the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Council Chairman, and Assembly Speaker in a bid for a thorough inquiry. “Investigate based on my letter. If I am proven guilty of playing rummy, I will present my resignation to the Governor without delay,” he asserted.

In his defense, Kokate minimized the situation, questioning why it has garnered so much attention. “Are you familiar with online rummy? It necessitates linking a bank account. I do not have any mobile number or bank account linked to such an app. Since online rummy commenced, I have not played even a single rupee of it. In fact, I cannot engage in any rummy games. Thus, the allegations against me are unfounded. I have been unfairly maligned and will not rest until I take legal action against those who have made these baseless claims,” he expressed.

Furthermore, Kokate explained, “On that day, I was attending the state council. To gather information from my OSD, I needed to either send a text or call. They do not enter the council. Hence, I requested a mobile phone. When I opened it, a game appeared on the screen, and I found it difficult to bypass it initially due to unfamiliarity with the device. However, the video of my attempt to skip the game was not shown to the public. Various games can pop up on a mobile device, and skipping a 30-second game is not always feasible. My video is merely 11 seconds long, which triggered the wave of accusations.

He maintained that revealing the complete video would clarify the truth of the allegations against him. Kokate specified that the content shown in the video did not insult the feelings of farmers or the organization Chhava Sanghatana, which has called for his resignation due to perceived negligence towards the farming community.

“I did not engage in any inappropriate behavior. The issues presented had no relevance to farmers. Investigate the call detail records of those accountable. Let anyone involved come forward,” he commented.

Kokate held the press conference a day after the state NCP chief, Sunil Tatkare, expressed dissatisfaction regarding the incident, indicating that the party leadership might take action against Kokate.

Moreover, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis categorically stated that Kokate erred and dismissed his explanations. “It is unacceptable for a minister to be caught engaging in Junglee Rummy during a serious discussion in the State Assembly. We must acknowledge that Kokate has acted improperly. Ministers or MLAs should be focused on legislative duties, not playing online rummy during sessions. His clarification is not persuasive,” he asserted.