"He was playing rummy and made...": Prithviraj Chavan slams Maharashtra Govt decision to appoint Manikrao Kokate as new Sports Minister

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 1 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday criticised the state government decision to appoint Manikrao Kokate as the new Sports Minister after removing him as the Agriculture Minister.

Chavan remarks come after a video of Kokate playing online rummy during a legislative council session went viral, sparking widespread criticism. He questioned the government priorities, emphasising that corrupt ministers who are out of touch with people issues should be removed instead.

Chavan highlighted the difference in approach between the Congress and BJP, stating that the Congress party would take immediate action against corrupt ministers, unlike the BJP.

Speaking to ANI, Prithviraj Chavan said, He was playing rummy and made the Sports Minister and he may show his rummy expertise in the Sports Department. But the corrupt ministers who dont acknowledge people issues should have been removed. Congress used to take immediate action against corrupt ministers, be it in state or centre; Congress cannot be compared with the BJP. There are a lot of criminal and corrupt ministers in the BJP.

Chavan remarks come after a video of Kokate playing online rummy during a legislative council session went viral, sparking widespread criticism. The controversy erupted after the NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar shared a video clip on X, showing Kokate allegedly playing an online rummy game on his phone during the session.

Chavan pointed out that in a coalition government, the decision to remove a minister should be taken by the party leader, not the Chief Minister, based on the minister hold on their constituency.

Chavan also criticized Kokate performance as Agriculture Minister, citing the alarming rate of farmer suicides in the state, with eight farmers committing suicide daily during his tenure.

He said, Maharashtra government is a coalition government and removing a minister may be decided by the leader of the party the minister belongs to, not the CM. The leader takes the call based on the hold the minister has on the constituency. When Manikrao Kokate was Agricultural Minister, 8 farmers were committing suicide each day. Manikrao Kokate says that the state government is a beggar and money cannot be given, whereas before the polls, it was promised that the loans would be forgiven.

Kokate appointment as Sports Minister has been met with criticism from various quarters, with NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule terming it a cruel joke and demanding Kokate resignation. Sule expressed concern that the government decision sends the wrong message, especially when the state is grappling with issues like online gaming addiction.

In a post on X, Sule said, The honourable Minister, who tarnishes the state reputation by calling the Maharashtra government a beggar, should be shown the door by none other than the honourable Chief Minister himself. The decision to reward him for playing rummy in the legislature by appointing him as the Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare and Minority Development, and Waqf is truly incomprehensible.

This has laid bare the government priorities. On one hand, the younger generation in the state is being ruined by chasing online rummy, and while there is a demand to ban it, giving an important portfolio like Sports and Youth Welfare to Manikrao Kokate as a reward for playing rummy in the legislature is nothing short of a cruel joke, NCP-SP leader Sule said. (ANI)

Disclaimer: This news article is a direct feed from ANI and has not been edited by the News Nation team. The news agency is solely responsible for its content.