New Delhi, July 21 -- Facing criticism over a video showing him playing "rummy" on his phone during an assembly session, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate said on Sunday that it was a "solitaire game" and that he was only trying to skip a downloaded game on his mobile phone.

Kokate's statement came after he courted controversy over a purported video showing him playing a game during a session in the Legislative Assembly. Maharashtra MLA Rohit Pawar shared a video on X, claiming that Kokate playing "rummy" during the assembly session.

Kokate was checking his phone when the Upper House of the state legislature was adjourned, PTI reported. He said the game had popped up for 5 to 10 seconds while he was checking YouTube to un...