Maharashtra Minister's Card Game Controversy in Assembly Sparks Political Row
NASHIK/CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Two videos purportedly showing Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate playing an online card game during an assembly session have ignited a full-blown political controversy. The situation escalated on Sunday, culminating in violent confrontations between the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and a Maratha outfit, Chhava Sanghatna, as the stakes kept rising from what initially seemed like a social media controversy.
The confrontation reached its peak at an NCP press conference in Latur, where members of Chhava Sanghatna threw playing cards at NCP state president Sunil Tatkare, demanding Kokate’s resignation. The symbolic protest quickly turned violent when local NCP workers allegedly attacked the protesters after Tatkare left the venue. One activist was injured after being struck on the head with a chair.
The row began when opposition MLA Rohit Pawar of NCP (SP) posted the videos on X, claiming they showed Kokate too engrossed in gaming to pay attention to the assembly proceedings. The allegation gained significant traction within hours, leading to widespread protests.
In Nashik, Kokate dismissed the allegations as deliberate misrepresentation. The minister explained that he was attempting to monitor the Lower House proceedings from the Upper House of Maharashtra's bicameral legislature when an online gaming advertisement appeared on his phone. “I tried to skip it a couple of times, but couldn’t. Finally, on my third attempt, it worked,” Kokate said, accusing Pawar of selectively editing the footage to suit his narrative. “The MLA chose to show only the part that suited him instead of showing the complete video,” he added, dismissing the controversy as an attempt by the opposition to defame a BJP-led government “doing good work.”
At NCP’s press conference in Latur, Chhava Sanghatna, led by Vijaykumar Ghadge, initially submitted a memorandum to Tatkare seeking Kokate’s resignation before the card-throwing protest. After the NCP state chief left the venue, local party politicians allegedly confronted the Maratha activists in a nearby room, where the situation turned violent despite police efforts to maintain order. No arrests had been made by late Sunday, although the alleged retaliation drew sharp criticism from across the political spectrum. Ghadge-Patil condemned what he claimed was an attack by “NCP goons,” stating that Chhava Sanghatna, an organization of “farmers’ sons,” would retaliate.
NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan defended the party workers’ actions as a “natural reaction” to alleged attempts to humiliate party functionaries. He acknowledged Chhava Sanghatna’s right to democratic protest but suggested that the card-throwing protest was out of line. Vidya Chavan of NCP (SP) termed the assault on the protesters “horrible,” emphasizing that questioning politicians’ actions is a democratic right. She urged Minister Kokate to “speak the truth and accept his mistake.”
Throughout the controversy, Kokate maintained that his detractors, like Rohit Pawar, had been focusing on trivial matters—“my clothes, my cars, and such things”—rather than the government’s agricultural policies. The minister stated that if the legislator had farmers’ interests in mind, he would have highlighted the government’s work. Kokate declared that the opposition’s focus on such issues reflected its inability to find genuine governance concerns.
The incident has brought to the forefront the tensions between the ruling coalition and the opposition, highlighting the need for transparency and accountability in political conduct. The Maharashtra government will likely face increased scrutiny in the coming days as the fallout from this incident continues to unfold.
