Political career
Parrikar joined the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at a young age and became a
mukhya shikshak (chief instructor) in the final years of his schooling. After graduating from IIT, he resumed RSS work in
Mapusa while maintaining a private business, and became a
sanghchalak (local director) at the age of 26. He was active in the RSS's North Goa unit, becoming a key organiser of the
Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He was seconded by RSS to the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the objective of fighting the
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.
[6] Parrikar has often expressed considerable pride of his RSS background, saying that he learnt "discipline, progressiveness, gender equality, equality of all before the law, nationalism and social responsibility from the RSS".
[7] He is sometimes described as having been a
pracharak of the RSS.
[8]