Maharashtra minister says ‘Not Playing Rummy’, viral video misleading

In the age of viral clips and social media judgment, it takes only a few seconds of screen time to ignite political fire and Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate is the latest to find himself at the eye of this storm.

“#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

A video showing Kokate allegedly playing an online card game during a legislative session has not only drawn fierce opposition backlash but also sparked physical altercations and soul-searching questions about political optics, responsibility and credibility.

But Kokate insists the moment was misunderstood. “I was not playing rummy,” he clarified, calling the video “selectively edited” and misleading. According to him, he was merely trying to access YouTube to check Assembly proceedings when an ad for Junglee Rummy appeared briefly, a pop-up he skipped within seconds. “That’s when someone decided to hit record,” Kokate said. “Why don’t people ask if Rohit Pawar gets online ads too?”

The explanation, however, hasn’t stopped the political fallout. The footage, posted by NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar, has become a rallying point for critics accusing the government of apathy amid a farm crisis with Maharashtra reportedly witnessing nearly eight farmer suicides a day.

“The Agriculture Minister is playing games while farmers are dying,” Pawar said, turning the moment into a metaphor for misplaced priorities. The Congress and NCP (SP) were quick to pile on, with leaders calling the incident symbolic of the state’s “disconnect from ground realities.”

But the issue has also escalated beyond rhetoric. At a press conference in Latur, activists from the Chhava Sanghatna staged a dramatic protest, throwing playing cards and demanding Kokate’s resignation. What followed was mayhem, a violent brawl between protestors and NCP workers, including the party’s youth wing president Suraj Chavan. Video clips show fists, kicks and chaos before police managed to disperse the crowd.

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