He actively participated in the Quit India Movement from 1942 to 1945 and later joined the Forward Bloc, a political group led by Subhash Chandra Bose.

[1][2] In 1946, Deshpande moved to Goa, where he became a teacher and engaged in the political activities intended to liberate the region from Portuguese rule.

He joined prominent activists, including Ram Manohar Lohia, on 18 June 1946, Goa Revolution Day, to further the liberation movement.

In April 1947, he aligned with activists such as Vishwanath Lawande, Narayana H. Naik, and Prabhakar Sinari to intensify efforts against Portuguese colonial rule.

In response to his defiance, the Portuguese authorities declared him mentally unstable and transferred him to the Hospital Miguel Bombarda in Portugal as a violent psychiatric patient.