The Many Controversies Of Maharashtra Minister Who Played Rummy In Assembly

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate, who was recently found playing rummy on his mobile phone in the state assembly, is no stranger to controversies. From making remarks on farmers to the powers of ministers, he found himself at the centre of several rows since the start of the year.

Here is a list of controversies he stoked:

January 21: Mr Kokate admitted corruption in implementation of government schemes but said there is no reason to discontinue it. "There have been some irregularities in the scheme but two to four percent corruption in any scheme does not mean that it should be closed," he said. 

February 14: The minister made headlines when he likened farmers to beggars while defending the Re 1 crop insurance scheme. "Even beggars do not take one rupee but the government is giving crop insurance of the same amount, and this is also being misused," he said. 

February 20: Mr Kokate and his brother Sunil Kokate were awarded two years in prison by a Nashik court on charges of submitting fake documents to get flats under a government quota between 1995 and 1997. A fine of Rs 50,000 was also imposed on each of them.

The minister was granted bail, on a personal bond of Rs 15,000, just two hours after the verdict.

February 24: The Agriculture Minister complained that ministers have no power, saying: "Now, the Chief Minister is also appointing PAs (personal assistants) and OSDs (officers on special duty). We have nothing in our hands." 

April 4: In another controversial comment, Mr Kokate alleged that the money disbursed through government schemes to farmers are used for events like weddings instead. "Farmers do not repay loans for five to 10 years while waiting for a waiver. The money received from agricultural schemes is not spent on the intended purposes but for engagement ceremonies and weddings. The farmers do not invest in a single rupee in farming," he said.

July 20: A video of the minister playing rummy on his phone in Maharashtra went viral after the clip was shared by Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar. 

July 22: Mr Kokate kicked up a fresh storm when he said: "Actually, the government itself is a beggar, the government does not give a single rupee to the farmers but takes a rupee from them (for crop insurance) The government itself is a beggar, because it is taking Rs 1 from the farmers." In an attempt at damage control, he later said his statement was understood differently.