Intensifying his attack against Manikrao Kokate, who was recently found playing an online game in the Maharashtra Assembly, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar claimed Wednesday that the Agriculture Minister played Rummy in the House for much longer than he had claimed.
“The Agriculture Minister was not playing Rummy for just 42 seconds but for 18 to 22 minutes. This has become clear from the probe report of the state legislature. This report has been submitted to the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister. Will the government clarify about it?” Rohit asked through a post on social media.
He added, “If this government is not going to take action against a minister who was playing Rummy online for 18-22 minutes, then the Chief Minister has no moral right to claim that he followed the ideology of Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Similarly, Ajit dada has no moral right to claim that he followed the teachings of late Yashwantrao Chavan.”
Speaking to The Indian Express, Rohit Pawar said, “Our stand is that Kokate should be sacked. Why is the government not taking action against him? Why is the government shielding him?” Rohit said he had not seen the state legislature’s probe report on Kokate, “but those who have seen it told me.”
It was widely speculated that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) head and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar would ask Kokate to resign in the wake of the recent controversy. However, on Tuesday, Ajit appeared to let him off with a warning. Kokate was cautioned not to repeat such behaviour and, in turn, he promised not to make controversial remarks and to follow party discipline, sources in the NCP said.
On Tuesday, Kokate met Ajit in his chamber at the Mantralaya, the state government’s administrative headquarters, for half an hour, party sources said. “He apologised for the Rummy incident and promised that such a thing would not happen in the future. Kokate pleaded that he should be given one last chance, after which Ajit Pawar relented and did not ask him to resign,” an NCP leader said.
At the Cabinet meeting that followed, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his displeasure at the controversial statements made by ministers. “He said it affected the party’s image,” said a BJP spokesperson.