CM Fadnavis brands agri minister Kokate's 'govt is beggar' comment inappropriate

Nashik: On Tuesday, state agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate referred to govt as a "beggar" while addressing the media in Nashik, igniting a fresh controversy.

Kokate, who represents Nashik's Sinnar assembly constituency, was questioned about his previous remarks suggesting that even beggars do not accept Re 1 in alms and that govt provides crop insurance for that amount. He clarified, "Govt doesn't give Re 1 to the farmers, it takes Re 1 from them for crop insurance. So who is the beggar here? Govt is a beggar, and not the farmer. My statement was misconstrued then by the people."

Kokate said he played a key role in rejecting more than 5.3 lakh bogus applications under the Re 1 crop insurance scheme, which govt has now abolished and replaced with the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis called Kokate's comments "inappropriate." Speaking in Gadchiroli, Fadnavis said, "If he has made such a comment, it is inappropriate for ministers to speak in this manner. We have taken corrective measures in the crop insurance scheme as we saw insurance companies benefitting and not farmers." Fadnavis added, "We have taken steps to invest Rs 5,000 crore every year in the agriculture sector."

NCP (SP) MP and party's working president Supriya Sule, in a post on X, condemned Kokate's remarks, saying that calling the state govt a "beggar" was an act of insensitivity. "It took the supreme sacrifice by 105 martyrs in the struggle for United Maharashtra and immense contribution by previous chief ministers and the people of the state to make Maharashtra the most prosperous state in the country. Calling the state a ‘beggar' is a disaster and an insult to them," she wrote. Sule further added, "There has never been an agriculture minister who behaved so insensitively towards farmers when there are so many burning issues. The portfolio should be handled by someone sensitive towards agriculture and farmers."

Congress, meanwhile, questioned whether chief minister Fadnavis lacked the courage to dismiss a cabinet minister who jeopardised the rich political tradition and culture of the state. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshvardhan Sapkal asked, "The ministers in Fadnavis's cabinet seem like a collection of rare specimens — each one a ‘gem' in his own way. A minister like Kokate should not be retained in the office even for a moment. Does Fadnavis lack courage to sack Kokate?"