30 Facts About Manohar Parrikar

Manohar Parrikar served as the Minister of Defence from October 2014 to March 2017.

Manohar Parrikar served in the National Democratic Alliance government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Defence Minister of India from 2014 to 2017.

Manohar Parrikar was a former member of Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.

Manohar Parrikar 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 the first Chief Minister of a state to continue in office for over a year despite being diagnosed with terminal-stage cancer.

Manohar Parrikar was born to a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin family in Mapusa, Goa.

Manohar Parrikar completed his primary education in Marathi and went on to graduate in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, in 1978.

Manohar Parrikar was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award by IIT Bombay in 2001.

Manohar Parrikar joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at a young age and became a mukhya shikshak in the final years of his schooling.

Manohar Parrikar was active in the RSS's North Goa unit, becoming a key organiser of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

Manohar Parrikar was seconded by RSS to Bharatiya Janata Party with the objective of fighting the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.

Manohar Parrikar is sometimes described as having been a pracharak of the RSS.

Manohar Parrikar was leader of the opposition from June to November 1999.

Manohar Parrikar 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 Manohar 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.

In 2007, the Manohar Parrikar led BJP was defeated in the Goa state elections by the Congress led by Digambar Kamat.

In 2014, Manohar Parrikar drew criticism for approving a junket costing at least 8.9 million for six MLAs from the ruling party, including three ministers, to attend the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

On 14 March 2017, Manohar 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 Manohar Parrikar was brought back to the state as Chief Minister.

Manohar 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.

Manohar Parrikar had represented the Panaji constituency in the Goa Legislative Assembly when he was a player in the state politics.

In November 2014, Manohar Parrikar was chosen as the Minister of Defence replacing Arun Jaitley, who, till then, held additional charge of the Ministry.

In 2001, the Manohar 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.

Manohar Parrikar drew criticism for approving a junket costing at least 8.9 million for six government MLAs from the ruling party, including three ministers, to attend the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

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, Manohar Parrikar made a controversial remark that "if anyone speaks like this, he has to be taught a lesson of his life".

Manohar Parrikar later clarified that he had not targeted any specific individual.

In November 2016, Manohar Parrikar, while serving as Minister of Defence of India, raised a question about why India should bind itself to the no first use policy.

On 27 October 2018, the Government of Goa announced that Manohar Parrikar had pancreatic cancer.

Manohar Parrikar died on 17 March 2019 at the age of 63 from pancreatic cancer at his residence in Panaji.

Manohar Parrikar's death was announced by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind in a tweet condoling his death.

Manohar Parrikar's 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.