Maharashtra Minister Found Playing ‘Rummy’ In Assembly; Oppn Demands Resignation As Video Goes

A fresh row erupted in Maharashtra after the state’s agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate was allegedly found playing ‘rummy’ on his mobile phone during a session of the legislative assembly. 

The video, shared by NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar today, prompted the opposition to slam the ruling Mahayuti alliance comprising of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule has demanded Kokate’s resignation, saying that Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister was busy playing games while 750 farmers had committed suicide in the past three months, ANI reported. 

Condemning Maharashtra minister playing a game on his mobile phone in the assembly as seen in the purported video, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule said: “It is shameful that the agriculture minister (Manikrao Kokate) is busy gaming online while farmers are committing suicide. Manikrao Kokate must resign.” 

VIDEO | “It is shameful that the agriculture minister (Manikrao Kokate) is busy gaming online while farmers are committing suicide. Manikrao Kokate must resign,” says NCP (SP) Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule), condemning a purported video of the Maharashtra minister playing a game on… pic.twitter.com/38cSrdcewS

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 20, 2025

Sharing the video, NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar also took a dig at the ruling alliance, saying, “Even with countless agricultural issues pending and 8 farmers committing suicide daily in the state, the Agriculture Minister, with nothing else to do, seems to have time to play rummy.”

“Will these misguided ministers and the government ever hear the desperate plea of farmers demanding crop insurance, loan waivers, and price support: “Come to the fields of poor farmers sometimes, Maharaj”? he wrote in a post on X in Marathi.

“#जंगली_रमी_पे_आओ_ना_महाराज…!”

सत्तेतल्या राष्ट्रवादी गटाला भाजपला विचारल्याशिवाय काहीच करता येत नाही म्हणूनच शेतीचे असंख्य प्रश्न प्रलंबित असताना, राज्यात रोज ८ शेतकरी आत्महत्या करत असताना सुद्धा काही कामच नसल्याने कृषिमंत्र्यांवर रमी खेळण्याची वेळ येत असावी.

रस्ता भरकटलेल्या… pic.twitter.com/52jz7eTAtq

— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) July 20, 2025

Maharashtra Minister Defends Actions

Meanwhile, Kokate defended himself and accused the opposition of targeting him using an “incomplete video”. He also hit back at NCP-SCP MLA Rohit Pawar, who shared the purported video on X, saying, “Rohit Pawar has become addicted to playing rummy. It wasn’t rummy, but solitaire on my phone.”

“How does he know what rummy is? I don’t know what rummy is. He must play it a lot, so he thought I was playing it too. It was a solitaire game,” he added. 

“When I know there is a camera, why would I sit there to play a game? I wanted to skip it, I tried twice, I didn’t know how to skip the game, but in the next second, I skipped it,” the Maharashtra Minister said.

He further claimed tht he had picked up his mobile phone to see what was happening in the lower house on YouTube, but the game got downloaded on his phone. 

“If you watch the full video, you will see that I skipped the game…I was trying to skip it, but it didn’t work. And the opposition is targeting me based on an incomplete video,” he said, adding “10 different types of ads come up on YouTube… You have to watch it for 30 seconds and you can’t even skip it.”

#WATCH | Nashik | On being accused by NCP-SCP MLA Rohit Pawar on ‘X’ of playing rummy while in the Maharashtra Assembly session, Maharashtra Minister Manikrao Kokate, says, “Rohit Pawar has become addicted to playing rummy. It wasn’t rummy, but solitaire on my phone. Some PA or… pic.twitter.com/yO5I4OB2Vj

— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2025

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam also criticised the act and remarked that a people’s representative must focus on the important issues while in the House.

“It is expected from a people’s representative to focus on the important issues while in the House… I do not support such an act, however, it is not such a big political issue,” he told PTI.