Agri minister Manikrao Kokate seeks inquiry into card playing allegations, says will resign if found guilty

Time of India

7 days ago

Nashik/Pune: State agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate on Tuesday again dismissed the allegations that he was "playing an online game of cards" on his cellphone during a state assembly session and said he was ready to face an inquiry.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, however, claimed that the minister was lying and shared a video of the minister, along with the audio from the session. He insisted that Kokate resign before facing a probe.
Kokate, who was in Nashik on Tuesday, said he would seek an inquiry into a video released by his political rivals and tender his resignation if found guilty during the winter session. Kokate also announced his intention to sue all those trying to defame him.
When reporters brought up the opposition's demand, Kokate asked: "What should I give my resignation for? Have I committed any crime?"
"I am going to write to the chief minister, deputy chief minister, the chairperson of the legislative council, and the Speaker of the assembly to conduct an inquiry into the episode and make public the report during the next winter session. If found guilty, I will tender my resignation to the Governor without even meeting the chief minister or the deputy chief minister," Kokate said.
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He further said when he goes to Mumbai next week, he would contact his lawyers, issue notices to all politicians involved in defaming him, and file a defamation suit.
"I have been in the House for over 25 years and would never indulge in acts that violate the norms. I have already clarified that when I wanted some updates on my cellphone, I opened it only to encounter a pop-up advertisement of the online game. I struggled to skip the advertisement despite attempting multiple times.
There is a complete video, and it is longer than 17 seconds. It reveals the truth, as I was able to skip the advertisement after multiple attempts.
I will, therefore, seek the call records of the politicians engaged in the act and file defamation cases against them," said Kokate.
When asked about chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's statement that playing cards in the House was inappropriate, Kokate said, "Currently, I have neither briefed the CM (Devendra Fadnavis) nor the deputy CM (Ajit Pawar) on the issue.
The CM's statement might have been based on the media reports."
Does Not Take 42 Seconds To Skip Advertisement: Rohit Pawar
A few days ago, Rohit Pawar had uploaded a video of Kokate without the background audio on his X handle. When Kokate claimed on Tuesday that he was surfing on his cellphone when there was no discussion going on in the assembly, the Karjat-Jamkhed MLA reposted it with the audio on the same social media platform.
"Respecting the assembly's decorum, I first posted the video without the audio. However, since the state agriculture minister is lying, I had to repost it with the background audio. He was seen playing the game of cards on his cellphone while issues about a tribal community were being discussed in the assembly," Rohit said on X. He reiterated it while speaking to reporters in Karjat Jamkhed on Tuesday.
Countering Kokate's claim that he was surfing on his cellphone when the advertisement of the online game popped up and he was skipping it, Rohit said, "It does not take 42 seconds to skip an advertisement.
If the minister says that he will face a probe, he should resign and then appear for the inquiry."
The MLA said that farmers expected much from the state govt, but the agriculture minister has been making controversial statements about them in the last four years. "When the farming community needs support, he is playing a game of cards. Such politicians should not hold a cabinet minister's post," Rohit Pawar added.