Ajit Pawar left red-faced after mention of ‘Parrikar’ fails to ring a bell

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar found himself in an embarrassing position on Saturday (September 13) with his "Parrikar who?" remark after a woman spoke about how former Goa chief minister, the late Manohar Parrikar, widely hailed for his administrative skills, used to make surprise visits to check civic issues.

Parrikar also served as the defence minister between 2014 and 2017.

Interaction with locals

The exchange occurred when Pawar, with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) chief Naval Kishore Ram and other officials, visited various parts of the city on Saturday to interact with residents and understand their problems.

During his visit to Keshav Nagar in Hadapsar assembly constituency, citizens raised concerns about traffic congestion and other civic problems, to which Pawar said the administration was aware of the demand for better facilities.

While apologising for being late for the interaction, Pawar said all efforts were being made to resolve issues speedily. It was at this point that a woman asked Pawar to take a cue from the late Parrikar and make surprise visits to check the traffic problems for himself.

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Who is Parrikar?

"The way Parrikar saheb used to make surprise visits (in Goa), you or somebody should visit the area during traffic peak hours," she said.

A visibly stunned Pawar interrupted her by asking, "Parrikar who?", after which the woman had to tell him she was referring to the late BJP leader from the neighbouring coastal state.

The woman, agitated by then, said people in the area were so frustrated with traffic woes that many were considering shifting elsewhere.

People's leader

Parrikar, with an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, was chief minister of Goa for three terms and defence minister between October 2014 and March 2017 in the first term of the Narendra Modi government.

Known for his simplicity, Parrikar's public persona included anecdotes of his moving about the state on a scooter to understand issues first-hand. He died of cancer in 2019.

The international airport in Mopa in Goa, as well as the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), an autonomous body under the Defence Ministry, are named after him.