Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate's exit from agriculture post reflects public sentiment: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis
Chief minister
Devendra Fadnavis
confirmed that the decision was taken after discussions with deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and
Ajit Pawar
, asserting it as a move to uphold accountability in governance.
'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 Friday on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new international campus of Kavi Kulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University at Waranga, near Wardha Road in Nagpur.
'No other portfolios have been changed, and as of now, no such changes are being considered.'
Addressing speculation around his meeting with former NCP (Ajit Pawar) Minister Dhananjay Munde, Fadnavis clarified that while Munde met him thrice, there were no discussions related to any cabinet changes.
'Such decisions are not taken at Munde's level. They happen between me, Shinde, and Pawar,' he said.
Kokate, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, has been mired in controversy — first for being caught on camera allegedly playing an online card game during an assembly session, and more recently, for his inflammatory statements about farmers and govt schemes.
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 farmers to beggars that appear to have sealed his fate.
'Nowadays, even beggars do not take a single rupee. However, we gave crop insurance to farmers for one rupee. Some people misused this scheme,' Kokate said earlier this year.
In previous statements, Kokate also alleged that farmers used govt funds for weddings and not agriculture, and that 'two to four percent corruption' in schemes was not a reason to shut them down.
In February, he and his brother Sunil Kokate were sentenced to two years in jail by a Nashik court for submitting fake documents to obtain flats under a govt quota in the 1990s.
On Tuesday, Fadnavis reportedly issued a stern warning to all ministers against inviting public ire. On Friday, he reiterated it, 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.'
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Friendship Day wishes
,
messages
and
quotes
!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
Govt to file review petition in SC for Mahadevi's return to Jain mutt: CM
Kolhapur: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday that state govt will file a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking the return of the elephant, Mahadevi alias Madhuri, to the Jain mutt at Kolhapur's Nandani village. Fadnavis convened a meeting with the Jain mutt's top office-bearers and representatives. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, forest minister Ganesh Naik, along with ministers Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Hasan Mushrif, Prakash Abitkar, and other MLAs and MPs attended the meeting. Addressing the meeting, Fadnavis said, "The elephant has been in Nandani mutt for the past 34 years. Keeping public sentiment in mind, state govt will file a reconsideration petition. The mutt should also include the state govt in its petition. Also, a separate detailed stand will be presented in the Supreme Court on behalf of the forest department. In this, all the issues suggested by the Central Zoo Authority and the high-level committee will be resolved. " "State govt will form a team, including a doctor to take care of the elephant, and provide all necessary assistance. If necessary, arrangements like a rescue centre will be made and facilities will be provided accordingly. A request will also be made in this petition through the state govt to appoint an independent committee by the Supreme Court to investigate these matters. Efforts will be made to bring Mahadevi elephant back to the mutt through the legal process," added Fadnavis. After the meeting, former MP Raju Shetti said, "If Madhuri was fit before shifting her as per the eight different medical reports, then how come she became physically unfit after reaching the Gujarat facility in 48 hours? How did she get multiple fractures? Elephants from the North East were also brought to Vantara after travelling 3000 km. An elephant from Vita in Sangli was taken to Vantara three years ago. What is its condition now? Three other mutts in the border villages of Karnataka have also received notices from the forest department. " MLC Satej Patil said, "If govt, and more specifically the forest department, puts forward the case properly, then only we will be able to bring our elephant back. The govt has taken a positive stand for the elephant, and we welcome it." Meanwhile, the chief of Jain mutt, Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya, said, "CM Devendra Fadnavis has assured us that they will support us in this case." The Bombay HC, responding to petition by Peta, ordered the rehabilitation of the elephant from the Nandani mutt to an elephant welfare centre operated by Vantara Trust in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The mutt appealed to SC against this directive, but following the dismissal of the petition, the elephant was relocated to Jamnagar on July 29. Since then, the issue has sparked a highly emotional and politically charged campaign across Kolhapur and neighbouring districts, including border areas of Karnataka, advocating for the elephant's return to Nandani.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Jarange Patil to hold morcha to Mumbai to demand Maratha reservation
Ahead of the local bodies' elections this year, activist Manoj Jarange Patil has planned a morcha in Mumbai to demand reservation for Marathas on August 29. Jarange Patil is touring the state to revive his network with local units and community leaders. Jarange Patil held a meeting with his followers at Dharashiv (Marathwada). Speaking to the media, he issued a stern warning to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to not interfere with their plans nor make any attempts to scuttle it. 'Don't meddle with our morcha. You have done it in the past and paid a heavy price,' he said. 'The Maratha community is fighting for its rights. I represent the poor and oppressed Marathas who are denied quotas. Any attempt on your part (Devendra Fadnavis) will invite backlash. And it's consequences will not only adversely impact the Maharashtra government, but also the Narendra Modi government.' After the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections, Jarange Patil has been quiet. The Maratha reservation was an important plank which went against the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls where the party won just nine seats and along with alliance partners Shiv Sena (7) and NCP (one), it's tally was restricted to just 17 seats out of 48. Whereas, the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress (14), Shiv Sena- UBT(9) and NCP (8) together made up for 31 seats. However, the Maratha reservation factor did not make much of an impact in the Assembly polls held six months later in November 2024. As OBC consolidation along with other factors saw BJP emerge as the single largest party with 132 seats. With alliance partners Shiv Sena (57) and NCP (41) it's tally added to 230 seats out of 288. With an absolute majority, the Fadnavis-led Mahayuti is on a strong footing in the state. Despite agitations and poll promises by the ruling and opposition parties over the years, Maratha reservation remains a sensitive issue which remains unresolved. During the Eknath Shinde-led government of 2022-2024, the state adopted a unanimous resolution in the state legislative assembly and council giving ten per cent reservation to Marathas in government educational institutions and jobs. The decision was rejected by Jarange Patil, who wanted Maratha reservation within the OBC quota. In Maharashtra, OBCs are entitled to 27 per cent quota. Along with other groups including Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, Special Backward Category, Nomadic Tribes, it makes up for a total 51 per cent. Exactly, two years ago on August 29, 2023 Jarange Patil held demonstration at his native village Antarwali Sarathi in Jalna district in Marathwada region. At that time Shinde was CM and Fadnavis was deputy CM with home portfolio. The 43 years old Maratha activist known for his unwavering commitment to reservation for the community was then just seen as a local leader. However, police lathicharge on the protestors who were violent invited sharp reaction from community across Maharashtra. And Jarange Patil become larger than life leader representing the cause of Maratha quota. Despite strong resentment from established leaders he elicited support amongst the masses and patronage from politicians who were against BJP led Mahayuti government. Although the demand for Maratha reservation had been voiced way back in 1980s, it took the form of an organised protest in 2016 to 2018 during first tenure of the Fadnavis government (2014-2019). The agitation for reservation was organised as Maratha Kranti Morcha. The first phase of the agitation, which saw 58 silent rallies across Maharashtra, was peaceful and highly disciplined in 2016 to 2017. In the second phase of the agitation — from 2017-2018 that rocked the state following a spate of suicides — saw the state government expeditiously set up the M G Gaikwad Commission, which gave a nod for Maratha quota. It was followed by the government's decision to come out with a special legislation, The Socially and Educationally Backward Class Act, to accommodate Maratha reservation. The community, under the SEBC act, got 12 and 13 per cent reservation in education and job. Jarange-Patil played a pro-active role in all these agitations as an activist. He had not yet risen to the status of a leader during this time, a role the agitations had been missing. In the past, he had associated himself with the Congress party at the taluka level. However, he soon left the party and started the Shivba Sanghatana in 2011. His stated objective of the newly formed organisation was to campaign for the rights of Marathas. Like any other youth, he was also highly influenced by the role of the Maratha warrior kings Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj. He took the lead along with other villagers in organising the birth anniversaries of Shivaji and Sambhaji Maharaj and also addressed the rural audience. He had actively participated in organising a play on Sambhaji Raje enacted by NCP (MP) Amol Kolhe in his taluka and neighbourhood. The rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district, which led the Marathas to consolidate and plan an agitation, also had a lasting influence on him. Jarange Patil participated in long marches in Marathwada region as an activist. In 2018, the Fadnavis government announced 12 and 13 per cent quota to Marathas in education and jobs respectively. However, the quota was challenged in court through a public litigation questioning its social backwardness. The Supreme Court had in May 2021 struck down reservation for Marathas under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class Act. The reason was that the reservation violated the 50 per cent ceiling mandated for the state. Secondly, questions were also raised about the social backward status of Marathas, which was the politically dominant community with 33 per cent state population.
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Next Bangladesh general election set for Feb 2026 before Ramzan: Muhammad Yunus
Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday announced that the next general election would be held in February, as thousands of people joined a rally in Dhaka to mark the first anniversary of the 'July Uprising' that toppled longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina."On behalf of the interim government, I will send a letter to the chief election commissioner requesting that the Election Commission hold the national election in February 2026, before Ramzan," Yunus said in a televised address to the nation on the first anniversary of last year's student-led protest movement - dubbed as 'July Uprising'.advertisementThe month of Ramzan is set to begin on February 17 or 18 next year, depending on the sighting of the moon. Earlier, general elections in Bangladesh were scheduled for the first half of April next year. "We want this election to be memorable in our nation's history - in terms of joy and festivity, peace and order, voter turnout, and in terms of harmony and sincerity," Yunus said as he promised to extend all possible support to ensure a 'free, fair, peaceful, and festive' 85, said his government would start "both mental and institutional readiness to accomplish all necessary preparations, starting tomorrow".The interim government led by Yunus has disbanded all activities of Hasina's Awami League and arrested its top leaders, resulting in the emergence of former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as the single major actor in the political arena.A large offshoot of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD), which led the protests against Hasina, formed the National Citizen Party (NCP) in February, apparently with Yunus' blessings. The NCP recently presented its manifesto, vowing to turn Bangladesh into a 'Second Republic' and scrap the country's post-independence 1972 NCP is believed to have developed ties with far-right Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist groups against Yunus called the 'July Uprising' anniversary an 'unforgettable chapter in the history of Bangladesh' as it had led to "liberating our beloved nation from the grip of long-standing fascist rule".Before delivering the televised address, Yunus read out the 'July Declaration' in front of the Jatiya Sangsad or the Parliament complex, saying the Uprising Day should serve as a reminder that the struggle for a better future continues.'The people of Bangladesh express their desire that the student-people uprising of 2024 will get proper state and constitutional recognition and that the July declaration will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election,' Yunus said, reading from the Yunus-led interim government wanted to give constitutional recognition to the student-led uprising. This recognition is known as the July over 1,000-word declaration described in detail the activities of the ousted 'fascist' regime, adding that 'therefore the people of Bangladesh express a strong desire' to bring the former rulers under trial for crimes of enforced disappearance and murder, individual and mass killings, and crimes against humanity.'This document of declaration is written to reflect the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh at the event of the victory in the mass uprising of August 5, 2024,' Yunus forces enforced a strict vigil throughout the capital, with armoured vehicles patrolling the streets apparently to deter any attempt by Hasina's now-banned Awami League party to disrupt the day's events that included rallies, concerts, and prayer sessions. The representatives of major political parties joined the apart from scattered political rallies, the streets of the capital were quiet amid inclement weather marked by incessant to political analysts, the anniversary came as Hasina, now on self–exile in India, faces trial on charges like crimes against humanity while most of her colleagues in the cabinet and in her Awami League party are in jail or on the run at home and political analysts said Bangladesh is far from political stability, a year after the bloody uprising that claimed hundreds of said that despite the bloodshed, the prospect for a better Bangladesh with a liberal democracy, political tolerance, and religious and communal harmony remained a challenge."The hope of the thousands who braved lethal violence a year ago when they opposed Sheikh Hasina's abusive rule to build a rights-respecting democracy remains unfulfilled," New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said in a statement on the eve of the was installed as Chief Adviser of the interim government on August 8 last year, three days after the ouster of the 16-year-long Awami League regime, when Hasina left the country in an air force helicopter escorted by army troops."Together, we will build a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again," Yunus had earlier said in a statement coinciding with the anniversary. He added that a peaceful, fair, and transparent election could be held early next said, "fallen autocrats and their self-serving allies remain active" as he called for protecting the gains of the government is now holding reform talks with political parties and civil interim administration declared the Uprising Day anniversary a public holiday.- EndsMust Watch
