Nashik, April 6: Maharashtra's Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate recently courted controversy after he claimed that farmers in the state deliberately defaulted on crop loans and misused funds received from agricultural schemes by spending them on engagement ceremonies and weddings. Notably, Kokate made the remark on Friday, April 4, while he was visiting villages in the Nashik district affected by recent unseasonal rain and hailstorms. During his visit to Nashik, one of the farmers raised a concern about loan waivers.

"Ajit Pawar has said there will be no loan waiver. So will those who regularly repay their loans get any benefit?" the farmer asked. Responding to the farmer's question, Manikrao Kokate said, "Farmers who repay loans on time should do so. But many simply wait for five to ten years expecting a loan waiver. They take loans but don슬롯사이트™t repay them. And when a waiver is granted, is the money used for farming? Do you even invest a rupee in agriculture?"슬롯 머신 사이트 추천Manikrao Kokate Convicted in Fraud Case: Congress Leader Harshwardhan Vasantrao Sapkal Demands Maharashtra Agriculture Minister슬롯사이트™s Resignation.

What Did the Opposition Say?

Soon after videos of Kokate surfaced online, the opposition slammed the minister. Taunting Kokate over his conviction in a fraud case, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said, "Kokate should know that spending money of crop loans on weddings is not easy, unlike grabbing a flat in the government quota by submitting fake income proof." After his remarks caused a stir, the minister took a U-turn and claimed he was misunderstood and was speaking to a farmer friend in a lighter vein. So who is Manikrao Kokate?슬롯 머신 사이트 추천Maharashtra Shocker: Babasaheb Manohare, Commissioner of Latur Municipal Corporation, Shoots Himself in Suicide Bid; Condition Critical.

Who Is Manikrao Kokate?

Manikrao Kokate is serving as the agriculture minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra. An MLA from Nashik's Sinnar, Kokate is an NCP leader who has won the Sinnar assembly constituency five times. In the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, Manikrao Kokate won the Sinnar seat by a huge margin and defeated NCP (SP) leader Uday Sangale.

Meanwhile, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the state's BJP president and revenue minister, said that the government would apologise to the farmers for Kokate슬롯사이트™s remarks.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 06, 2025 01:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).