Goa CM, Manohar Parrikar passes away today, March 17

Manglore Today News Network

Goa, March 17, 2019: Manohar Parrikar, Goa Chief Minister and former defence minister, has passed away at the age of 63 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Parrikar was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer in February 2018 and had been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and New York since.

Parrikar’s health worsened on Saturday, 16 March sparking hectic political activities across parties in the coastal state. He was suffering from a pancreatic ailment.

The strength of Goa Assembly has reduced from 40 to 37 after the death of one MLA and resignation of two others. The Congress currently has 14 MLAs, after two of its MLAs joined the BJP. The BJP has 13 MLAs in the state and has formed government with the support of three MLAs each of the Goa Forward Party, MGP and an Independent one.

An unassuming man, Parrikar, who had launched a campaign against the Congress-led government on the issue of illegal mining in the state, emerged as the rallying-point for anti-Congress sentiments.

From an RSS pracharak to a Union Minister, the technocrat-turned politician was known for his administrative acumen and clean image, which left an indelible mark on the politics of the tiny state. A Mumbai IIT graduate in metallurgical engineering and among the first members of BJP in Goa, Parrikar was instrumental in raising the profile of his party from its just four members in state assembly in 1994 to its present status as a ruling party in the state assembly.

He was the first BJP chief minister who had publicly said in 2013 that Narendra Modi, the then Gujarat Chief Minister, should be the face of the party in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.He was inducted into the Narendra Modi cabinet as the defence minister, under whose tenure India conducted the surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He returned as Goa CM on March 14, 2017 after the BJP managed to cobble up an alliance in the coastal state to keep the BJP out of power

Deeply Saddened, Says Rahul Gandhi on Parrikar’s Demise. Congress President Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to express condolences.

Condolence meet of late Goa CM Manohar Parrikar will be held in the Union Cabinet at 11 am on Monday.

President of India Offers Condolences

President Of India Ram Nath Kovind expressed condolences on Twitter.Extremely sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa, after an illness borne with fortitude and dignity. An epitome of integrity and dedication in public life, his service to the people of Goa and of India will not be forgotten