Ajit Pawar asks 'who Parrikar' as woman troubled by traffic woes cites former Goa CM's example

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

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

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

While apologising for coming late for the interaction, the Deputy CM 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. "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 "who Parrikar?", 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 mulling to shift elsewhere.

Parrikar, with an engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, was chief minister of Goa for three terms and was 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 on March 17, 2019. The international airport in Mopa in Goa as well as Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), an autonomous body under the Defence ministry, are named after him.