Ajit Pawar meets Chhava Sanghatna activists, assures decision about Minister Kokate

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said he would speak to NCP leader and cabinet colleague Manikrao Kokate, who is in the eye of the storm after a video purportedly showed him playing a card game on his mobile phone in the state legislature, and will take an appropriate decision.

Activists of the Chhava Sanghatna, who were assaulted by NCP workers last week, met Pawar and demanded Kokate's ouster.

Workers of Ajit Pawar-led NCP had on July 20 assaulted Chhava Sanghatna activists in Latur, where the latter confronted party leader Sunil Tatkare over a video purportedly showing state agriculture minister Kokate playing a game of rummy on his mobile phone during the recently concluded monsoon session of the state legislature.

Chhava Sanghatna leader Vijay Ghadge, who was severely beaten up in the clash, and other activists of the Maratha outfit met Pawar at the government guesthouse in Pune.

Speaking to the reporters, the deputy chief minister said, "During the meeting, I told him (Ghadge) that whatever happened was wrong and those who were responsible for the incident were asked to resign from the post." Pawar was referring to NCP leader Suraj Chavan, who was asked to step down as the party's youth wing president after the attack in Latur.

"I will talk to Minister Manikrao Kokate on Monday and will take an appropriate decision," he said.

Following the meeting, Ghadge said Pawar spoke to the Latur superintendent of police and instructed him to take strict action against those who assaulted the activists.

"We asked Ajit Dada about the attack that took place when we went to give a memorandum to the party's state president, Tatkare. We asked him what our mistake was. He condemned the incident and told us that he had initiated an action the same day against the persons involved," he told reporters.

Ghadge further said that they have sought the removal of Kokate as the state agriculture minister.

"We told him the state has got a most insensitive agriculture minister and he should be removed from the cabinet. He sought time till Tuesday and assured that he would make a decision," he claimed.

He further warned that if no action is taken against Kokate by Tuesday, the Chhava Sanghatana and farmers will stage a protest against Pawar.

Senior NCP Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who was in Pune, said both sides (Chhava Sanghatna and NCP workers) were at fault. PIT SPK ARU

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)