Maharashtra Cabinet reshuffle: Manikrao Kokate, caught playing ‘rummy', loses agriculture ministry, gets new portfolio
Kokate has been shifted from the agriculture ministry to the sports and youth welfare department. He will also be in charge of the minority development and Auqaf departments, accordign to a notification issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) on Thursday night.
Dattatrey Bharne, the current sports minister, will be the new agriculture minister, as per the notification cited by new agency PTI.
Both Kokate and Bharne are MLAs of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Bharne is MLA from Indapur in Pune district.
Kokate, a legislator from Sinnar in Nashik district, found himself in hot water after a video of him playing an online rummy game on his mobile phone while sitting in the legislative council during the monsoon session was shared on social media by NCP (SP) leaders Rohit Pawar and Jitendra Awhad.
Manikrao Kokate later claimed that it was a "solitaire game" and that he was only trying to skip a downloaded game on his mobile phone.
"It is a solitaire game, not Rummy. Any of my colleagues must have downloaded it. I was trying to see what was happening in the lower house. I was not playing Rummy. The Opposition is trying to demean the government," Kokate said.
"I don't even know what rummy is," he said. "Ten different types of ads come up on YouTube... You have to watch it for 30 seconds and you can't even skip it...," he said.
Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate also claimed that selective footage had been shared on social media to defame him.
"When the upper house of the state legislature was adjourned, I took out my mobile phone to check the business transacted in the lower house and was trying to open YouTube," he was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
"The downloaded game suddenly opened, and I was skipping it. It was a matter of just 5 to 10 seconds; why that part was not shown?" he said while responding to the criticism he was facing over the video.
"The full video should come out. Only a short clip has been made viral. This is a ploy by the opposition, but their tactics will never succeed," Kokate was quoted by India Today as saying.
He also courted controversy for allegedly equating farmers with beggars a few months ago.
Earlier this year, Dhananjay Munde, another NCP leader, had to resign from the Devendra Fadnavis-led ministry after his close aide Walmik Karad was named as the prime accused in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
40 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Karnataka to complete AI workforce impact survey in a month
Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday said the state is talking to companies to evaluate the impact of AI on workforce and the assessment is expected to be completed in about a month. The comment assumes significance in the backdrop of TCS' decision to slash 12,000 jobs this year. The unexpected move by India's largest IT services company has sent fresh tremors in the tech industry, that has been battling global macroeconomic woes and geopolitical uncertainty. On the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees' Union reportedly seeking action against TCS over the job cuts, Kharge said Karnataka does not recognise unions in IT sector. He, however, added that "if there are concerns raised by public and people, it is our responsibility to address it". "We are talking to companies to ask them what exactly we can do to ensure our HR or talent is most employable. We are getting a survey done with the companies on AI affect in workforce," Kharge told PTI on sidelines of SAP Labs India event. He added that the process is expected to be completed in about a month. It is pertinent to mention here that India's top IT services companies have delivered single-digit revenue growth in Q1 FY26, capping off a somewhat-sobering June quarter as macroeconomic instability and geopolitical tensions have weighed on global tech demand and delayed client decision making.
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Trump's 50% tariffs on India! which sectors will impact? study says ‘estimated impact of…'
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a 50% tariff on Indian goods, which will take effect from August 7. This move raised major concerns about its potential impact on the Indian economy. However, there's some good news a new report suggests the impact will be minimal. According to a study by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), the tariff is expected to affect India's GDP by only 0.19%, which is almost negligible. Out of India's total exports worth $86.5 billion, only $8.1 billion around 1.87% will be affected by this move. Trump Tariffs: What PHDCCI Study Says? The paper, released by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), also recommends a series of measures to mitigate the impact of US tariffs. 'Our analysis indicates that there will be an estimated impact of only 1.87 per cent on India's total global merchandise exports and a negligible 0.19 per cent on India's GDP as a result of a 25 per cent tariff announced by the US on India,' said Hemant Jain, President, PHDCCI. The study said the total potential export impact is estimated at USD 8.1 billion based on 2024-25 merchandise exports of USD 86.5 billion (1.87 per cent of India's total global export). Which Sectors Will Impact By Trump Tariffs? Among other sectors, the study said the levies would impact engineering goods (USD 1.8 billion), gems and jewellery (USD 932 million), and ready-made garments (USD 500 million). In the wake of the US tariffs, the industry body has recommended several measures, including increasing market penetration, product development and market diversification. It suggested that stakeholders should negotiate bundled-pricing deals (textiles plus accessories) to absorb some tariff cost and maintain shelf-price competitiveness. 'Leverage Indian diaspora networks (trade fairs, cultural events) to boost volume with existing buyers under current product portfolios,' it said. PHDCCI also made a strong case for investments in joint ventures with US firms to produce tariff-sensitive goods on-shore, thereby converting exports into high-value services and intellectual property (IP) licensing. (With Inputs From PTI)
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Backlash after interview with AI avatar of US school shooting victim
Independent journalist Jim Acosta faced a torrent of online criticism Wednesday after he posted an "interview" conducted with an AI avatar of a US school shooting victim. Former CNN White House chief correspondent Acosta interacted with a virtual likeness of Joaquin Oliver, one of the 17 people killed in the Parkland, Florida school shooting in 2018. Acosta, a long-standing hate figure for some supporters of President Donald Trump who often derided the veteran Washington correspondent, has long been an advocate for increased gun control. The clip posted on Acosta's YouTube channel on August 4 to coincide with what would have been Oliver's 25th birthday has gathered more than 22,000 views. On the Guy Benson Show on Fox News, conservative columnist Joe Concha said of the segment "It's just sick." Acosta said that Oliver's parents Manuel and Patricia "have created an AI version of their son to deliver a powerful message on gun violence" after falling victim to one of the deadliest US mass shootings. In the interview Acosta asks Oliver, who was killed aged 17, what happened to him. Despite having the blessing of Oliver's parents, critics said the approach was tasteless and did not advance the campaign against gun violence. "It was more of a bizarre AI demonstration than an interview," wrote columnist Kirsten Fleming in the New York Post tabloid. "It's also false. And grotesque. Like a dystopian plot come to life." In the clip, Oliver's likeness gives opinions on how to counter gun violence. "I was taken from this world too early while at school due to gun violence," says a metallic, sped-up voice synthesized to sound like Oliver's. "It's important to talk about these issues so we can create a safer future for everyone." In an opinion piece published Wednesday, journalism institute Poynter suggested that Acosta's move from major media outlet CNN to an independent operation where he operates without an editorial support mechanism was behind his judgment. "I hope Jim Acosta decides to phone a friend next time. We've all got a lot of figuring out to do," it said. It is not the first time artificial intelligence has been used to highlight the impact of the Parkland shooting. Last year US lawmakers heard recreations of Oliver's voice and those of other victims in AI phone call recordings demanding to know why action had not been taken on gun control. On February 14, 2018, then 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a town north of Miami, carrying a high-powered AR-15 rifle. He had been expelled from the school a year earlier for disciplinary reasons. In a matter of nine minutes, he killed 14 students and three school employees, then fled by mixing in with people frantically escaping the gruesome scene. Police arrested Cruz shortly thereafter as he walked along the street. He pleaded guilty to the massacre to the massacre in 2021 and was sentenced to life without parole a year later. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
