Gloom grips Goa as Manohar Parrikar dies at 63

Losing his over year-long battle against pancreatic cancer, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar died on Sunday evening, leaving a leadership vacuum for the BJP-led coalition government in the coastal state. He was 63.

The Centre has announced national mourning on Monday. Parrikar's remains will be kept at the BJP Office in Panjim and later the Kala Academy for people to pay their last respects. The funeral procession will begin at 4 pm and end with the cremation at Miramar.

Parrikar was diagnosed with the ailment last February following which he underwent treatment for extended periods in Mumbai, the US, New Delhi and Goa.

The four-term chief minister and former defence minister would make public appearances since late 2018 with a nasal tube and a cap. At the inauguration of a new bridge in Panaji recently, Goa's most popular leader mouthed the dialogue from Bollywood film 'Uri': "How is the josh?"

Two months ago, a frail Parrikar, who held portfolios like finance and home, had presented the state's budget, amid the Congress's claim that his health had affected governance.

Reports of Parrikar's sinking health were making the rounds and BJP legislators were summoned on Saturday to discuss the impending leadership change. 

On Sunday evening, the Goa chief minister's office tweeted that his condition was "extremely critical," after which security was increased outside his private residence at Taleigao, with senior leaders making a beeline. President Ramnath Kovind tweeted Parrikar's passing.

He is survived by sons Utpal and Abhijat. His wife Medha had died of cancer in 2001.

Parrikar had friends across party lines, popularity in the middle-class and acceptability among Roman Catholics, who account for around a fourth of the population. In 2014, he was elevated as the defence minister and replaced by Laxmikant Parsekar. Known for his simplicity, the IITian would move around with bare-bones security, wearing chappals and an untucked bush-shirt. A hands-on administrator, he is credited with the organisation of the International Film Festival of India in Goa.

With Parrikar's death, the BJP stares at a crisis. Left with just 12 members, it now has to depend on allies like Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Goa Forward Party's (GFP) and independents for support. It faces a litmus test in the April 23 by-elections to three seats. Meanwhile, the Congress, the single-largest party, has staked its claim to form the government and sought that the BJP regime be dismissed.

Even hard-bitten Congress leaders admit that Parrikar, who was the defence minister before being sent back to Goa as the chief minister in March 2017, was the one who could keep the coalition together.

A BJP minister admitted intense competition over Parrikar's likely replacement. Ministers Vishwajit Rane, Nilesh Cabral, speaker Dr Pramod Sawant and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar are said to be in the race. Though Union minister and North Goa MP Shripad Naik was said to be in the reckoning earlier, the BJP may want him to contest the Lok Sabha.

"We are not averse to MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar or the GFP's Vijai Sardesai being the chief minister but they must merge their parties into the BJP," the minister said.

Speaking to DNA before Parrikar's death was announced, MGP president Deepak Dhavalikar had sought that the leadership change would take place only after the results of the April 23 by-elections to the state assembly for three seats. "Till then, the assembly must be kept under suspended animation," sought Dhavalikar, who is in the fray from Shiroda.

The by-elections at Shiroda and Mandrem have been necessitated after the BJP weaned away Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte, which led to an intense churn within the BJP. The death of former deputy chief minister Francis D'Souza (BJP) has led to the by-polls from Mapusa. The MGP is also likely to contest more seats.

Though there were speculations that former chief minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat was likely to defect to the BJP and be appointed as the chief minister, Kamat, who had been with the BJP in the past, denied this.

The 2017 elections saw the Congress emerge as the single-largest with 17 MLAs in the 40-member house, but was out-manoeuvred by the BJP (13 MLAs) to form the government with support from the MGP (3), GFP (3), Independents (three) and NCP (1). It also lured Vishwajit, the son of former CM and Congress veteran, Pratapsinh Rane, and later, Shirodkar and Sopte.

With Parrikar and D'Souza's deaths and the resignation of Sopte and Shirodkar, the strength of the assembly has reduced to 36.

Leader of opposition Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar said they had sought an appointment with Governor Mridula Sinha to stake claim for government formation. "We will prove our majority in the house," said Kavlekar, while charging they doubted the Governor's "impartiality" as she was yet to give them an appointment while however meeting BJP functionaries.

MANOHAR PARRIKAR, 1955-2019

1994 – Elected to the Goa Legislative Assembly for the first time.

OCTOBER 2000 – Becomes Chief Minister of Goa

MARCH 2012 – Elected chief minister as BJP wins simple majority for the first time

NOVEMBER 2014 – Sworn in as Defence Minister, five months after BJP wins Lok Sabha polls

MARCH 2017 – Resigns as Defence Minister, sworn in as Goa CM again, as allies demand his presence in state to support BJP

Sorry to hear of the passing of Manohar Parrikar. An epitome of integrity and dedication in public life, his service to people of Goa and India won’t be forgotten
Ram Nath Kovind, President

Shri Parrikar was the builder of modern Goa. Thanks to affable personality and accessible nature, he remained the preferred leader of the state for years.
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

BJP’S CRISIS MAN IN GOA

ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER 

• Parrikar became a RSS member at a young age and when he was in the final years of his schooling, he became a chief instructor for the organisation.
   
• He resumed RSS work in Goa and managed a private business after graduating from IIT Bombay.
   
• He then became a local director of the RSS at the age of 26. Parrikar was elected to Legislative Assembly of Goa in 1994.
   
• In October 2000, he became the Chief Minister of Goa for the first time but could not complete his
   
• 5 year tenure and was abrupted in February 2002.
   
• He was again elected to power in Goa in June 2002 and again the tenure was shortened as four of the BJP MLAs resigned from the house.
   
• Parrikar was again sworn in as Goa Chief Minister in March 2012 but again had to resign from the post and had to move to Delhi in November 2014 as he was assigned the duties of Defence Ministry.
   
• In March 2017, Parrikar resigned as the Union Defence Minister and was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Goa after the governor of the state called him to form government after some tricky results in the 2017 assembly elections.

GOAN AT HEART

Manohar Parrikar was born on December 13, 1955 to Utpal Parrikar and Radhabai Parrikar in Mapusa, North Goa.

FAMILY

He was married to Medha Parrikar and the couple was blessed with two sons. However, in the year 2001 his wife Medha died of cancer.

ACADEMICS

B. Tech. (MET) Educated at IIT Bombay

Compiled by DNA – Research N Archives