Manohar Parrikar Explained

Manohar Parrikar
Office:8th Chief Minister of Goa
Term Start:14 March 2017
Term End:17 March 2019
Governor:Mridula Sinha
Predecessor:Laxmikant Parsekar
Successor:Dr. Pramod Sawant
Term Start1:9 March 2012
Term End1:8 November 2014
Governor1:Bharat Vir Wanchoo
Margaret Alva
Mridula Sinha
Deputy1:Francis D'Souza
Predecessor1:Digambar Kamat
Successor1:Laxmikant Parsekar
Term Start2:24 October 2000
Term End2:2 February 2005
Governor2:Mohammed Fazal
Kidar Nath Sahani
S. C. Jamir
Deputy2:Ravi Naik
Predecessor2:Francisco Sardinha
Successor2:Pratapsingh Rane
Office3:27th Union Minister of Defence
Term Start3:9 November 2014
Term End3:13 March 2017
Primeminister3:Narendra Modi
Predecessor3:Arun Jaitley
Successor3:Arun Jaitley
Office4:Member of Goa Legislative Assembly
Constituency4:Panaji
Term Start4:28 August 2017
Term End4:17 March 2019
Predecessor4:Sidharth Kuncalienker
Successor4:Atanasio Monserrate
Term Start5:1994
Term End5:2014
Predecessor5:Joan Baptista Florino Gonsalves
Successor5:Sidharth Kuncalienker
Constituency5:Panaji
Office6:Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Constituency6:Uttar Pradesh
Term Start6:26 November 2014
Term End6:2 September 2017
Predecessor6:Kusum Rai
Successor6:Hardeep Singh Puri
Birth Name:Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar
Birth Date:13 December 1955
Birth Place:Mapuçá, Goa, Portuguese India, Portuguese Empire
Death Place:Panaji, Goa, India
Spouse:Medha Parrikar (died 2001)
Party:Bharatiya Janata Party
Children:2
Education:Loyola High School
Alma Mater:IIT Bombay (1976)
Awards:Padma Bhushan (2020)

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 family [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 (200005), (201214), (201719)

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. 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.

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 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.[14] [15]

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.[16] [17]

Union Minister for Defence (201417)

In the 2014 general elections, BJP won both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa.[18] 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.[18]

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.[19]

In November 2014, Parrikar was chosen as the Minister of Defence replacing Arun Jaitley, who, till then, held additional charge of the Ministry.[12] [20] His entry into the parliament was facilitated by choosing him as the party's candidate for the elected Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh.[19]

Reception

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. He also drew criticism for approving a junket costing at least 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.[21] [22]

Parrikar often made remarks of controversial nature.[23] 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".[24] He later clarified that he had not targeted any specific individual.[25] In August 2016, Parrikar stated that going to Pakistan is the same thing as "going to hell".[26] 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.[27]

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.[28]

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.[29] On 27 October 2018, the Government of Goa announced that Parrikar had pancreatic cancer.[30]

He died on 17 March 2019 at the age of 63 from pancreatic cancer at his residence in Panaji.[31] [32] His death was announced by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind in a tweet condoling his death.[33] 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.[34]

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.[35]

Awards

Legacy

The Indian Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses was renamed the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in February 2020.[38]

In December 2022, the New International Airport at Mopa, Goa was named Manohar International Airport.[39]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. News: Manohar Parrikar to take oath as Goa CM tomorrow. Desk. Internet. The Hindu. 2017-03-13. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20170313223646/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/manohar-parrikar-to-take-oath-as-goa-cm-tomorrow/article17455622.ece?homepage=true. 13 March 2017. live.
  2. News: Manohar Parrikar appointed as new Goa Chief Minister . . 14 March 2017 . 13 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170313132900/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/manohar-parrikar-appointed-as-new-goa-chief-minister/articleshow/57610213.cms . 13 March 2017 . live.
  3. Web site: Thank You For Goa, Digvijaya Singh, Says Manohar Parrikar in Rajya Sabha. 31 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170331114348/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/thank-you-for-goa-digvijaya-singh-says-manohar-parrikar-in-rajya-sabha-1675731. 31 March 2017. live.
  4. Web site: Alphabetical List of Sitting Members of Rajya Sabha. 164.100.47.5. 24 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20130812044225/http://164.100.47.5/Newmembers/memberlist.aspx. 12 August 2013. live.
  5. Web site: Parrikar makes appearance in Rajya Sabha; Cong protests . The Tribune . 2017-03-31 . 2018-11-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170331110318/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/parrikar-makes-appearance-in-rajya-sabha-cong-protests/385083.html . 31 March 2017 . live.
  6. Web site: Sayta. Jay. 17 July 2020. Manohar Parrikar Was Both An Opportunistic Politician and a Workaholic Leader, Says New Biography. 30 August 2020. Outlook India.
  7. Web site: 2014-11-23. Forward castes must think forward as well. 2020-08-20. Hindustan Times. en.
  8. Web site: Shri. Manohar Parrikar – M.L.A – Goa Legislative Assembly. 10 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20110925192608/http://www.goavidhansabha.gov.in/member.php?id=42. 25 September 2011. live.
  9. Web site: English Releases. 19 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180219151222/http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelcontent.aspx?relid=111238. 19 February 2018. live.
  10. Web site: Mr. Manohar Parrikar | Alumni and Corporate Relations . 19 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040812/http://www.iitb.ac.in/alumni/en/awards/2001/distinguished-alumnus/mr-manohar-parrikar . 1 December 2017 . live.
  11. News: All you need to know about Manohar Parrikar . The Economic Times. 8 November 2014 . 8 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309061257/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/all-you-need-to-know-about-manohar-parrikar/articleshow/45076586.cms . 9 March 2017 . live.
  12. News: Manohar Parrikar agrees to shift to Delhi, Modi meets President . India Today . 6 November 2014 . 8 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141109121826/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/manohar-parrikar-narendra-modi-cabinet-reshuffle-defence-minister-pranab-mukherjee/1/399371.html . 9 November 2014 . live.
  13. Web site: Manohar Parrikar: BJP's poster boy in Goa returns as chief minister. PTI. 16 March 2017. 19 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180219152044/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/TicoqhVIpQjd3Dxl0X7GZM/Manohar-Parrikar-BJPs-poster-boy-in-Goa-returns-as-chief-m.html. 19 February 2018. live.
  14. News: Goa ministers, MLAs edge out babus in Rs 89 lakh junket to Brazil. Mergulhao. Marcus. 12 June 2014. The Times of India. 26 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20140615235049/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Goa-ministers-MLAs-edge-out-babus-in-Rs-89-lakh-junket-to-Brazil/articleshow/36406072.cms. 15 June 2014. live.
  15. Web site: Goa CM Manohar Parrikar sends MLAs on FIFA World Cup junket, ignores football legends. 12 June 2014. DNA India. https://web.archive.org/web/20160110054834/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-goa-cm-manohar-parrikar-sends-mlas-on-fifa-world-cup-junket-ignores-football-legends-1995055. 10 January 2016. live. 29 May 2016.
  16. Web site: Manohar Parrikar appointed Goa chief minister. India Today. 12 March 2017 . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170314043912/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/goa-election-result-cm-parrikar-mgp-gfp/1/902755.html. 14 March 2017. 14 March 2017.
  17. Web site: Manohar Parrikar back in Goa saddle, ordered to prove majority in House Thursday. 15 March 2017. The Indian Express. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170314175405/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/manohar-parrikar-bjp-goa-chief-minister-congress-floor-test-mridula-sinha-4569115/. 14 March 2017. 14 March 2015.
  18. Web site: Herald: Church feels alienated and sidelined by Parsekar. oHeraldo. 12 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150614071547/http://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/Church-feels-alienated-and-sidelined-by-Parsekar/89655.html. 14 June 2015. live.
  19. Web site: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to resign as Goa MLA. 13 November 2014. timesofindia-economictimes. 29 May 2016.
  20. News: Manohar Parrikar, an IIT-Mumbai Graduate, Likely to be New Defence Minister. 6 November 2014. NDTV. 6 November 2014.
  21. News: Mergulhao . Marcus . 12 June 2014 . Goa ministers, MLAs edge out babus in Rs 89 lakh junket to Brazil . The Times of India . 26 May 2016 .
  22. Web site: Goa CM Manohar Parrikar sends MLAs on FIFA World Cup junket, ignores football legends . 12 June 2014 . DNA India . 29 May 2016.
  23. Web site: Controversy's child: Statements made by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar . The New Indian Express . 29 November 2016.
  24. News: Biswas . Partha Sarathi . Parrikar takes swipe at actor (Aamir): those who speak like this must be taught lesson . The Indian Express . 31 July 2016.
  25. News: Manohar Parrikar clarifies his remark on Aamir Khan, says 'comment not pointed out at anyone specifically' . The Times of India . 1 August 2016.
  26. News: Going to Pakistan same as going to hell, says Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar . The Indian Express . 17 August 2016.
  27. News: Why bind ourselves to 'no first use policy', says Parrikar on India's nuke doctrine . The Hindu . The Hindu Group . 10 November 2016 . en-IN.
  28. News: 'Rafale files in bedroom': Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane audio clip authentic, says Rahul Gandhi. 2 January 2019. The Hindu.
  29. Web site: Goa CM Manohar Parrikar returns home after treatment in US, visits temple in Goa. 15 June 2018. India Today. en. 2018-12-12. 2018 13:06.
  30. News: Manohar Parrikar has pancreatic cancer, reveals Goa Health Minister. Prakash. Kamat. The Hindu. 27 October 2018.
  31. News: Kamat . Prakash . President Ram Nath Kovind announces death of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar . . 17 March 2019 . 17 March 2019.
  32. News: Manohar Parrikar, Goa Chief Minister, Dies at 63 After Battling Cancer: Updates . Niharika Banerjee . . 17 March 2019 . 17 March 2019.
  33. News: Manohar Parrikar – The man who changed Goan politics. The Times of India. 18 March 2019 .
  34. Web site: Manohar Parrikar funeral updates: Manohar Parrikar cremated with full state honours. The Times of India. en. 2019-03-18.
  35. Web site: 2020-06-09. An Extraordinary Life: A biography of Manohar Parrikar. An Excerpt. 2020-08-30. The Indian Express. en.
  36. Web site: Manohar Parrikar Conferred Honorary Doctorate By NIT Goa. https://web.archive.org/web/20180928100201/https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/manohar-parrikar-conferred-honorary-doctorate-by-nit-goa/317317. 28 September 2018. 28 September 2018. 28 September 2018. live.
  37. News: CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2012 . 12 December 2012 . IBN live . 13 December 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121214025125/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/indian-of-the-year-2012-winners-announced/310199-3-244.html . 14 December 2012 . dead.
  38. News: IDSA renamed Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. 2022-08-07. The Hindu. 18 February 2020. en.
  39. News: Mopa International Airport in Goa named after former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. ANI.