Manohar Parrikar (13 December 1955 – 17 March 2019) was an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party who was Chief Minister of Goa four times and India’s Defence Minister from 2014 to 2017. He was the first graduate of an Indian Institute of Technology to become a state Chief Minister. Known for his plain half-sleeved shirts and sandals and his habit of flying economy class, he died in office after a year-long illness and was awarded the Padma Bhushan posthumously.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar |
| Born | 13 December 1955, Mapusa, Goa |
| Died | 17 March 2019, Panaji, Goa (aged 63) |
| Party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Offices | Chief Minister of Goa (2000–2005, 2012–2014, 2017–2019); Minister of Defence (2014–2017) |
| Education | Loyola High School, Margao; IIT Bombay (B.Tech. Metallurgical Engineering, 1978) |
| Spouse | Medha Parrikar (d. 2000) |
| Children | 2 (Utpal and Abhijat) |
| Honour | Padma Bhushan (2020, posthumous) |
Early Life
Parrikar was born in Mapusa into a Goud Saraswat Brahmin family of traders. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as a schoolboy and remained active in it while studying at IIT Bombay. After graduating he started a small business in Goa making hydraulic equipment.
Political Career
The RSS asked him to work for the BJP, which then had almost no presence in Goa. He was elected to the assembly from Panaji in 1994 and became Leader of the Opposition. On 24 October 2000 he became Chief Minister. His governments improved roads and bridges, brought the International Film Festival of India to Goa in 2004 and introduced welfare payments for homemakers and the elderly. He returned to power with a majority in 2012.
Narendra Modi called him to Delhi in November 2014. During his term the government implemented One Rank One Pension for ex-servicemen, signed the agreement for 36 Rafale fighter aircraft with France and carried out strikes across the Line of Control in September 2016 after the attack at Uri. He revised the rules for buying military equipment to favour Indian-made systems.
After the 2017 Goa election produced a hung assembly, smaller parties agreed to support the BJP only if he led the government, and he resigned from the Union cabinet to become Chief Minister again.
Illness and Death
In 2018 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and treated in Mumbai, New York and Delhi. He continued to work, presenting the state budget in January 2019 with a tube in his nose. He died at his home on 17 March 2019. His wife had died of cancer in 2000.
Legacy
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Manohar Parrikar born?
Manohar Parrikar was born on 13 December 1955 in Mapusa, Goa.
When did Manohar Parrikar die?
Died: 17 March 2019, Panaji, Goa (aged 63).
Featured image: Manohar Parrikar, then Defence Minister, speaks at the Indian Coast Guard Investiture Ceremony, New Delhi, 28 January 2016. Photo by Ministry of Defence, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
