The opposition parties have intensified their demands for the resignation of Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate, following his conviction in a fraud case. The Nashik District Court sentenced Kokate and his brother, Vijay Kokate, to two years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs50,000 each for misappropriating government-allocated housing using forged documents.
NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Jitendra Awhad has raised concerns over the delay in Kokate’s disqualification. Awhad cited the example of Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified from Parliament following a conviction by a Gujarat court, and questioned why the same action was not being taken against Kokate. In a letter to Narwekar, Awhad emphasised that the judiciary had explicitly noted that Kokate, despite being a lawyer and politician, willfully committed fraud, violating the law and depriving the economically weaker sections of their rightful housing.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has accused the ruling coalition of exerting pressure on Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar regarding the disqualification of 40 MLAs. “The Supreme Court had directed the Assembly Speaker to take an unbiased decision, yet he had protected them. What expectations can we have from such a Speaker?” Raut questioned.
However, Narwekar refuted these allegations, assuring that all decisions would be made in accordance with legislative rules and procedures pertaining to Kokate’s disqualification. He stated that the ruling on Sunil Kedar’s disqualification was made only after receiving the certified court order, and a similar approach would be followed in Kokate’s case.
The opposition has been rallying against Kokate, pressing for immediate action to remove him from the legislative assembly. They pointed out that in December 2023, former minister Sunil Kedar was swiftly disqualified after being convicted in a cooperative bank fraud case, and demanded similar treatment for Kokate.
