Caught playing cards in the Maharashtra Assembly while it was in session, Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate appeared to be currying favour with Nationalist Congress Party boss and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, with a grand 'happy birthday' message Tuesday morning.
'Happy birthday, dada (as Mr Pawar is referred to within his party)' was written across 11 acres of agricultural land within the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation area.
The message was etched across a field in Mr Kokate's Sinnar constituency.
And, of course, also featured a large photograph of the birthday boy, i.e., Mr Pawar.
Reports said eight people, led by artists Mangesh Nipanikar and Kshipra Mankar, and two tractors worked 10 hours a day for six days to prepare the outlandish message.
Will the message have the effect Mr Kokate wants?
That is unclear. What is clear is that Ajit Pawar is under pressure to sack his minister, with the opposition having targeted his NCP and the ruling alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mr Pawar is also under pressure, sources told NDTV, from within that ruling alliance.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis - already under fire for failing to stem violent conduct by goons with political backing in the Marathi language row - criticised Mr Kokate's conduct.
Sources told NDTV other members of the BJP and the third member of the Mahayuti bloc, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, have also criticised the Agriculture Minister's actions, and believe a "strong public message" is necessary for the ruling alliance to retain credibility with the public.
The NCP has yet to decide on Mr Kokate's fate.
Meanwhile, the card-playing minister has, unsurprisingly, played down the row, declaring this a "small issue" and defended himself by claiming he wasn't actually playing for money.
"... why did (this issue) get stretched out so much? You can't play online rummy if your phone and bank account are not linked... I will give my details and everyone can check," he said, declaring also he would take legal action against those who said he played cards in the House.
VIDEO | Maharashtra Minister Caught Playing Rummy In Assembly. His Defence
Earlier Mr Kokate claimed he wasn't actually playing the game and that it "got downloaded on my phone". He said he had been trying to "skip it" and accused the opposition of targeting him with an incomplete clip, "I tried twice (but) didn't know how... but next second, I skipped it."
The video of Mr Kokata playing (or trying to skip) the game, depending on which protestation is accepted, has been severely criticised by the opposition, with NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar's grandnephew, Rohit Pawar, leading the charge.
In a post on X Mr Pawar said: "Will these misguided ministers and the government ever hear the desperate plea of farmers demanding crop insurance, loan waivers, and price support?"
#राजीनामा_द्यावाच_लागेल!
— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) July 22, 2025
सभागृहाचं कामकाज संपलं होतं हे कृषिमंत्री महोदयांचं विधान धडधडीत खोटं आहे. उलट विकासाच्या मूळ प्रवाहापासून दूर असलेल्या आदिवासी बांधवांना दुधाळ जनावरं देण्याच्या अत्यंत महत्त्वाच्या विषयावर सभागृहात चर्चा सुरु होती, पण ‘ओसाड गावच्या पाटलांना' या चर्चेत… pic.twitter.com/KQJE4eHtwz
That Rohit Pawar is fronting the opposition attack on this issue is significant, given Ajit Pawar led rebel NCP MLAs out of the then-Sharad Pawar-ruled party in 2023 and delivered them to the BJP's camp. That strengthened the saffron party's control of the Maharashtra government.
Rohit Pawar doubled down on his criticism this morning, slamming Mr Kokate for a "blatantly false" statement that the House was not in session when he was caught playing cards.
"On the contrary, a discussion was underway on the extremely important issue of providing milch animals to tribal brethren who are far from the mainstream of development..."
Mr Pawar also questioned Mr Kokate's other claim - that he was trying to "skip the game".
"... tell me, which advertisement for a card game takes 42 seconds to skip?" he asked as he repeated the opposition's demand for the Agriculture Minister to stand down.
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