Decision to shift Kokate was jointly decided with both dyCMs: Fadnavis
2
Nagpur: The decision to shift agriculture minister and NCP(Ajit) MLA Manikrao Kokate on Thursday over 'rummy-in-the-House-row' and assigned sports and youth welfare, minority development and waqf portfolio, was taken jointly after a discussion with deputy chief ministers
Eknath Shinde
and
Ajit Pawar
, CM
Devendra Fadnavis
said on Friday.
He termed it as a move to uphold accountability in governance. Kokate was shifted in the wake of growing public outrage over his conduct and controversial remarks.
"There was a lot of public anger. We discussed it together and decided to reassign the agriculture department to Dattatraya Bharne," Fadnavis told the media on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new international campus of Kavi Kulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University at Waranga.
"No other portfolios have been changed, and as of now, no such changes are being considered."
Dispelling speculation over his meeting with former NCP(Ajit) minister Dhananjay Munde, Fadnavis clarified there were no discussions related to any cabinet changes during a meeting between them. "Such decisions are not taken at Munde's level. They happen between me, Shinde, and Pawar," he said.
Kokate has been mired in controversy — first when a camera caught him allegedly playing an online card game during the recently concluded monsoon session of Maharashtra Legislature, and more recently, for his inflammatory statements about farmers and govt schemes.
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He denied the gaming allegation, claiming he was trying to close a pop-up ad, and even offered to resign if proven guilty.
However, it was his remarks comparing govt with beggars in reference to the Re1 crop insurance scheme that appear to have sealed his fate for showing the govt in poor light. "The govt takes one rupee from the farmers. But it does not give a single rupee to the farmers. The govt takes money. So who is the beggar? The govt is the beggar, not the farmers," he had said.
In previous statements, Kokate also alleged that farmers used govt funds for weddings and not agriculture, and that "two to four per cent corruption" in schemes was not a reason to shut them down.
In February, he and his brother Sunil Kokate were sentenced to two years jail by a Nashik court for submitting fake documents to obtain flats under a govt quota in the 1990s.
On Friday, Fadnavis reiterated stern warning to all ministers against inviting public ire, stating, "I, Shinde, and Pawar have made it clear that irresponsible behaviour will not be tolerated. The decision to remove Kokate is a signal — we are here for public service, and our words and actions must reflect that."
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