Minister plays Junglee Rummy, Supporters beat up protesters

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00:00Dear viewers, in the first three months of this year, 767 farmers have died by suicide

00:07in Maharashtra.

00:08With such dire numbers in front, what do you expect the state's agriculture minister to

00:13do?

00:14Take the issue seriously, provide some relief to farmers on the edge, plan schemes to help

00:18them pay their loans?

00:20Well, not really.

00:21The agriculture minister of Maharashtra, Manik Rao Kokate, was caught on camera playing online

00:26rummy.

00:27That too, inside the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra.

00:30If you think this can't get worse, there is more.

00:33Kokate belongs to Ajit Pawar's NCP.

00:35Sunil Tatkare, NCP's Maharashtra president, was in Latour yesterday.

00:40People from Chhava Sangatna went to meet him during a press conference and handed over a

00:44memorandum demanding Kokate's resignation.

00:47Some of them to mark their protest, threw playing cards in front of Tatkare.

00:52That's all it took for NCP workers to lose their cool.

00:55They beat these protestors black and blue.

00:58Slaps, punches, kicks, everything thrown in.

01:01And the man in the center of it, Suraj Chavwan.

01:04You see this guy in the blue shirt, this is Suraj Chavwan, state president of NCP's youth

01:09wing.

01:10Here, he is acting like a street thug, beating protestors without a hint of remorse.

01:15All because they symbolically protested against an agriculture minister, playing online drumming

01:19inside the assembly.

01:20Can it get any worse?

01:22Is this what Maharashtra politics has been reduced to?

01:25First, Shinde Sena's Sanjay Gayakwar beats up a canteen worker.

01:29Then Awad and Padurkar's supporters play Wrestlemania inside Vidan Bhavan.

01:34And now, this.

01:35All within a span of a few days.

01:37Is this what a progressive state looks like?

01:40Hello, I am Tejas and you are watching Honest Take on Lokhmad Times.

01:43Before we dive into how power has gone to the heads of the incumbents, hit subscribe and press

01:48the bell icon.

01:49Because someone needs to hold the powerful accountable.

01:53Here is what you need to know.

01:55A video from inside the Maharashtra assembly went viral showing Agriculture Minister Manik

02:00Rao Kokate glued to Jang Lee Rami on his phone while debates were on.

02:05The timing couldn't be more disgraceful considering eight farmers are ending their lives everyday

02:10in Maharashtra.

02:12Opposition leaders including Rohit Pawar and Supriya Suray slammed Kokate demanding his resignation,

02:17calling it a slap on the face of farmers struggling with debt.

02:21Now what did Kokate say in his defense?

02:23He claims it was a YouTube ad that popped up while he was checking live proceedings in

02:28the lower house.

02:29And that the app was probably installed by a staffer.

02:33He also says the video was edited to frame him.

02:36Because apparently the real crime here is getting caught.

02:39Not the fact that while farmers hang themselves, their agriculture minister has time to card

02:44games in the middle of the assembly.

02:46Now the protest in Lathur.

02:47Workers of Chhava Sangatna, a Maratha youth group, decided to protest symbolically by throwing

02:53playing cards at NCP President Sunil Tatkare demanding Kokate's resignation.

02:58This should have been the end of it.

03:01Citizens registering dissent, marking their protests, leaders accepting the memorandum, moving on.

03:06Instead, NCP workers led by their youth wing chief, Surat Chavaan turned into street fighters,

03:12dragging protestors, punching, kicking and even using chairs as weapons.

03:17All while the police stood watching.

03:19Videos show Chavaan leading the assault like it is his birthright to silence criticism with

03:24his speech.

03:25This is not a one-off incident.

03:27Be it Sanjay Gaikwad beating up MLA Canteen staff, Awad and Padhakar supporters wrestling

03:32inside Vidhan Bhawan.

03:33And now, NCP workers beating up people from Chhava Sangatna.

03:37It fits a pattern.

03:39Ruling party leaders and their supporters reacting with violence to any challenge, big or small.

03:45And the message they send out is clear.

03:47If you dare to question them, be ready to be silenced physically.

03:50Let's also not forget, Kokate's track record, this isn't the first controversy around him.

03:56He has faced allegation of submitting fake documents in the past, yet remains in power.

04:02Because, well, accountability is optional when you are politically well connected.

04:06Meanwhile, the real issues remain untouched.

04:09Farmer suicides continue, crop insurance delays continue, debt cycles continue.

04:14But what makes headlines?

04:16A minister playing Ramy.

04:18A protest turning violent.

04:19And politicians issuing template statements like looking into the matter and issuing heartfelt

04:24apologies while quietly ensuring nothing happens.

04:28Here is the reality.

04:29This is not about one minister playing a game.

04:32It's about the complete disconnect between those in power and those they claim to represent.

04:37It's about the arrogance of leaders who believe they are above accountability and the

04:41culture of silencing protest with brute force.

04:45And while Kokate and his defenders spin stories about YouTube ads, farmers' families are left

04:51to burn the funeral pyres of their loved ones.

04:53That's the game no one in power wants to see.

04:57Maharashtra used to be the gold standard.

04:59Progressive, bold, a place where politics meant public service, not personal circus.

05:04Now look at us.

05:05Ministers gaming in the assembly while farmers die.

05:08Protesters beaten for daring to question power.

05:12Leaders too busy flexing muscle to feel any shame.

05:15If this is what progress looks like, who is it really for?

05:19Because on the ground, it feels like Maharashtra is slipping.

05:22One punch and one viral video at a time.

05:25And the people paying the price aren't in the assembly playing Rummy.

05:28They are the ones waiting for answers that never come.

05:32That's all for today.

05:33Do let us know what you think of these developments in the comments below.

05:36Until next time, stay sharp, stay curious and never stop asking tough questions.

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