Manohar Parrikar
Official Portrait, 2017
8th Chief Minister of Goa
In office
14 March 2017 – 17 March 2019
GovernorMridula Sinha
Preceded byLaxmikant Parsekar
Succeeded byDr. Pramod Sawant
In office
9 March 2012 – 8 November 2014
GovernorBharat Vir Wanchoo
Margaret Alva
Mridula Sinha
DeputyFrancis D'Souza
Preceded byDigambar Kamat
Succeeded byLaxmikant Parsekar
In office
24 October 2000 – 2 February 2005
GovernorMohammed Fazal
Kidar Nath Sahani
S. C. Jamir
DeputyRavi Naik
Preceded byFrancisco Sardinha
Succeeded byPratapsingh Rane
27th Minister of Defence
In office
9 November 2014 – 13 March 2017
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byArun Jaitley
Succeeded byArun Jaitley
Member of Vidhan Sabha, Goa
In office
28 August 2017 – 17 March 2019
Preceded bySidharth Kuncalienker
Succeeded byAtanasio Monserrate
ConstituencyPanaji
In office
1994 – 25 November 2014
Preceded byJoan Baptista Florino Gonsalves
Succeeded bySidharth Kuncalienker
ConstituencyPanaji
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
26 November 2014 – 2 September 2017
Preceded byKusum Rai
Succeeded byHardeep Singh Puri
ConstituencyUttar Pradesh
Personal details
Born
Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar

(1955-12-13)13 December 1955
Mapuçá, Portuguese India
(present-day Goa, India)
Died17 March 2019(2019-03-17) (aged 63)
Panaji, Goa, India
Cause of deathPancreatic cancer
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
SpouseMedha Parrikar (died 2001 due to blood cancer leukemia)
Children2
Alma materIIT Bombay (BTech)
AwardsPadma Bhushan

Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar (13 December 1955 – 17 March 2019) was an Indian politician and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party who served as Chief Minister of Goa from 14 March 2017 until his death.[1][2] Previously, he was Chief Minister of Goa from 2000 to 2005 and from 2012 to 2014 and from 2017 to 2019. He also served as the Minister of Defence from October 2014 to March 2017. In January 2020, he was posthumously awarded Padma Bhushan.

Parrikar proposed the name of Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate before 2013 BJP parliamentary elections convention in Goa. He served in the National Democratic Alliance government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Defence Minister of India from 2014 to 2017. He was a former member of Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.[3][4][5]

He was the first IIT alumnus to serve as MLA of an Indian state, the first IITian to become the Chief Minister of a state in India, the first Goan to become a cabinet-rank minister at the Centre, and also the first Chief Minister of a state to continue in office for over a year despite being diagnosed with terminal-stage cancer.[6]

Early life and education

Manohar Parrikar was born to a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin GSB family (Bamon) [7] in Mapusa, Goa.[8] He studied at Loyola High School, Margao.[9] Parrikar completed his 10th Standard Board Examination at G.S. Amonkar Vidya Mandir, Mapusa which was previously known as New Goa High school. He completed his primary education in Marathi and went on to graduate in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay),[8] in 1978. He was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award by IIT Bombay in 2001.[10]

Political career

Parrikar joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at a young age and became a mukhya shikshak (chief instructor) in the final years of his schooling. After graduating from IIT, he resumed RSS work in Mapusa while maintaining a private business, and became a sanghchalak (local director) at the age of 26. He was active in the RSS's North Goa unit, becoming a key organiser of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He was seconded by RSS to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the objective of fighting the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.[11] He is sometimes described as having been a pracharak of the RSS.[12]

Chief Minister of Goa (2000–05), (2012–14), (2017–19)

As a member of the BJP, Parrikar was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Goa in 1994. He was leader of the opposition from June to November 1999. He successfully contested the election to become Chief Minister of Goa for the first time on 24 October 2000, but his tenure lasted only until 27 February 2002.[13] In 2001, the Parrikar government had turned over fifty-one government primary schools in rural areas to Vidya Bharati, the educational wing of the Hindu nationalist group Sangh Parivar, inviting criticism from certain educationists.[14][15]

On 5 June 2002, he was re-elected and served another term as Chief Minister.[13] On 29 January 2005, his government was reduced to a minority in the Assembly after four BJP MLAs resigned from the House. Pratapsing Rane of the Indian National Congress would subsequently replace Parrikar as Chief Minister.

In 2007, the Parrikar led BJP was defeated in the Goa state elections by the Congress led by Digambar Kamat. BJP and their party-allies won twenty-four seats against the Congress' nine in the Goa Assembly Elections held in March 2012. In 2014, Parrikar drew criticism for approving a junket costing at least ₹8.9 million (equivalent to ₹14 million or US$180,000 in 2023) for six MLAs from the ruling party, including three ministers, to attend the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The Indian National Congress termed the trip "wasteful expenditure" and criticized the lack of other government officials or soccer experts in the delegation.[16][17]

On 14 March 2017, Parrikar was sworn in as Chief Minister of Goa. Goa Forward Party led by Vijai Sardesai, one of the parties who allied with BJP in Goa after election results were announced, had said that it would extend support to the BJP only if Parrikar was brought back to the state as Chief Minister.[18][19]

Union Minister for Defence (2014–17)

Parrikar interacting with the media after taking charge as the Defence Minister, in New Delhi on 10 November 2014.
Manohar Parrikar (sitting, left) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Barack Obama at the 2015 Republic Day Parade, New Delhi

In the 2014 general elections, BJP won both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa.[20] Parrikar was reluctant to leave Goa and move to Delhi in November 2014, by his own admission but was persuaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join central government.[20]

Parrikar was preceded by Laxmikant Parsekar as Goa's CM. Parrikar had represented the Panaji constituency in the Goa Legislative Assembly when he was a player in the state politics.[21]

In November 2014, Parrikar was chosen as the Minister of Defence replacing Arun Jaitley, who, till then, held additional charge of the Ministry.[12][22] His entry into the parliament was facilitated by choosing him as the party's candidate for the elected Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh.[21]

Controversies

In 2001, the Parrikar government turned over fifty-one government primary schools in rural areas to Vidya Bharati, the educational wing of the Sangh Parivar, inviting criticism from educationists.[23][24] He also drew criticism for approving a junket costing at least ₹8.9 million (equivalent to ₹14 million or US$180,000 in 2023) for six government MLAs from the ruling party, including three ministers, to attend the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The Indian National Congress termed the trip "wasteful expenditure" and criticized the lack of other government officials or football experts in the delegation.[25][26]

Parrikar often made remarks of controversial nature.[27] In wake of the debate on religious intolerance in India and actor Aamir Khan stating that his wife Kiran Rao had asked to move out of India, Parrikar made a controversial remark that "if anyone speaks like this, he has to be taught a lesson of his life".[28] He later clarified that he had not targeted any specific individual.[29] In August 2016, Parrikar stated that going to Pakistan is the same thing as "going to hell".[30] In November 2016, Parrikar, while serving as Minister of Defence of India, raised a question about why India should bind itself to the no first use policy.[31]

In 2019, an audio tape of Poriem MLA Vishwajit Rane surfaced where he spoke to an unknown person claiming that the Dassault Rafale Aircraft deal papers were in then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's bedroom. Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi attempted to play the alleged audio tape in the Lok Sabha but was not allowed to do so.[32]

Illness and death

During March–June 2018, Parrikar was undergoing treatment for what would turn out to be pancreatic cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA. He returned to India and in September was admitted in the AIIMS, Delhi for treatment.[33] On 27 October 2018, the Government of Goa announced that Parrikar had pancreatic cancer.[34]

He died on 17 March 2019 at the age of 63 from pancreatic cancer at his residence in Panaji.[35][36] His death was announced by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind in a tweet condoling his death.[37] His death was condoled by PM Narendra Modi, HM Rajnath Singh, BJP president Amit Shah, INC president Rahul Gandhi, and several other political leaders from all over Goa and India.

On the evening of 18 March, Parrikar was cremated with full state honours at Miramar in Panaji.[38]

Biography

In June 2020, a biography titled "An Extraordinary Life : A Biography of Manohar Parrikar" was published by Penguin Random House India. The book, penned by journalists Sadguru Patil and Mayabhushan Nagvenkar, documents Parrikar's life and ascent to power.[39]

Awards

Legacy

The Indian Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses was renamed the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in February of 2020.[42]

In December 2022, the New International Airport at Mopa, Goa was named Manohar International Airport.[43]

References

  1. ↑ Desk, Internet. "Manohar Parrikar to take oath as Goa CM tomorrow". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "Manohar Parrikar appointed as new Goa Chief Minister". The Economic Times. 14 March 2017. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  3. ↑ "Thank You For Goa, Digvijaya Singh, Says Manohar Parrikar in Rajya Sabha". Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "Alphabetical List of Sitting Members of Rajya Sabha". 164.100.47.5. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "Parrikar makes appearance in Rajya Sabha; Cong protests". The Tribune. 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  6. ↑ Sayta, Jay (17 July 2020). "Manohar Parrikar Was Both An Opportunistic Politician and a Workaholic Leader, Says New Biography". Outlook India. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Forward castes must think forward as well". Hindustan Times. 23 November 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Shri. Manohar Parrikar – M.L.A – Goa Legislative Assembly". Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "English Releases". Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Mr. Manohar Parrikar | Alumni and Corporate Relations". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  11. ↑ "All you need to know about Manohar Parrikar". The Economic Times. 8 November 2014. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Manohar Parrikar agrees to shift to Delhi, Modi meets President". India Today. 6 November 2014. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  13. 1 2 PTI (16 March 2017). "Manohar Parrikar: BJP's poster boy in Goa returns as chief minister". Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  14. ↑ Visweswaran, Kamala; et al. (2009), "The Hindutva view of history: Rewriting textbooks in India and the United States" (PDF), Georgetown Journal of International Affairs: 101–112, archived (PDF) from the original on 17 November 2015, retrieved 16 November 2015
  15. ↑ Frederick Noronha (30 June 2001), "Questionable Initiatives in Education", Economic and Political Weekly, 36 (26): 2322–2325, JSTOR 4410796
  16. ↑ Mergulhao, Marcus (12 June 2014). "Goa ministers, MLAs edge out babus in Rs 89 lakh junket to Brazil". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Goa CM Manohar Parrikar sends MLAs on FIFA World Cup junket, ignores football legends". DNA India. 12 June 2014. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "Manohar Parrikar appointed Goa chief minister". India Today. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  19. ↑ "Manohar Parrikar back in Goa saddle, ordered to prove majority in House Thursday". The Indian Express. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  20. 1 2 "Herald: Church feels alienated and sidelined by Parsekar". oHeraldo. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to resign as Goa MLA". timesofindia-economictimes. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  22. ↑ "Manohar Parrikar, an IIT-Mumbai Graduate, Likely to be New Defence Minister". NDTV. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  23. ↑ Visweswaran, Kamala; et al. (2009), "The Hindutva view of history: Rewriting textbooks in India and the United States" (PDF), Georgetown Journal of International Affairs: 101–112
  24. ↑ Frederick Noronha (30 June 2001), "Questionable Initiatives in Education", Economic and Political Weekly, 36 (26): 2322–2325, JSTOR 4410796
  25. ↑ Mergulhao, Marcus (12 June 2014). "Goa ministers, MLAs edge out babus in Rs 89 lakh junket to Brazil". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  26. ↑ "Goa CM Manohar Parrikar sends MLAs on FIFA World Cup junket, ignores football legends". DNA India. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  27. ↑ "Controversy's child: Statements made by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar". The New Indian Express. 29 November 2016.
  28. ↑ Biswas, Partha Sarathi (31 July 2016). "Parrikar takes swipe at actor (Aamir): those who speak like this must be taught lesson". The Indian Express.
  29. ↑ "Manohar Parrikar clarifies his remark on Aamir Khan, says 'comment not pointed out at anyone specifically'". The Times of India. 1 August 2016.
  30. ↑ "Going to Pakistan same as going to hell, says Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar". The Indian Express. 17 August 2016.
  31. ↑ "Why bind ourselves to 'no first use policy', says Parrikar on India's nuke doctrine". The Hindu. The Hindu Group. 10 November 2016.
  32. ↑ "'Rafale files in bedroom': Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane audio clip authentic, says Rahul Gandhi". The Hindu. 2 January 2019.
  33. ↑ "Goa CM Manohar Parrikar returns home after treatment in US, visits temple in Goa". India Today. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  34. ↑ Kamat, Prakash (27 October 2018). "Manohar Parrikar has pancreatic cancer, reveals Goa Health Minister". The Hindu.
  35. ↑ Kamat, Prakash (17 March 2019). "President Ram Nath Kovind announces death of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  36. ↑ Niharika Banerjee (17 March 2019). "Manohar Parrikar, Goa Chief Minister, Dies at 63 After Battling Cancer: Updates". NDTV. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  37. ↑ "Manohar Parrikar – The man who changed Goan politics". The Times of India. 18 March 2019.
  38. ↑ "Manohar Parrikar funeral updates: Manohar Parrikar cremated with full state honours". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  39. ↑ "An Extraordinary Life: A biography of Manohar Parrikar. An Excerpt". The Indian Express. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  40. ↑ "Manohar Parrikar Conferred Honorary Doctorate By NIT Goa". 28 September 2018. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  41. ↑ "CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2012". IBN live. 12 December 2012. Archived from the original on 14 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  42. ↑ "IDSA renamed Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses". The Hindu. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  43. ↑ "Mopa International Airport in Goa named after former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar". ANI.
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