By Manas Chaudhuri
SHILLONG: Dr Donkupar Roy’s death was relatively premature. It was sudden and quite unexpected. Certainly, it was also most untimely for the ruling coalition and the party he headed – UDP. Even though he had a history of medical conditions, 65 years can hardly be a ripe age for such an eventuality, particularly for a man who was the fulcrum of both the government and the party.
“Bah Don” and “Doctor Don”, as he was fondly called by the large number of his admirers, was essentially a good-hearted soul who was unsullied by any personal or political controversy. More importantly, he was a rare politician who could be trusted with his words. Affable, considerate and an epitome of polite behavior, he was the quintessence of what the Khasis call ka akor ka burom.
One of the lasting memories of Bah Don is his disarming smile and his acuity to counter-argue with his own logic laced with a clinching laugh. Never known to be a wily political schemer, he believed in opinion-building by way of dialogue. It is remarkable that most of his major political decisions were brought about through consensus, but bearing the distinct hallmark of his own mind.
During my association with him, first as a fellow legislator and then as his colleague in the cabinet, I don’t recall one instance when he raised his voice, either in anger or to make his point through the power of the lungs. That he never got embroiled in any personal or political controversy is a story by itself.
In 2008, I recall, when he was on the hot chair of Chief Minister, Bah Don had to weather rough and volatile political pressure. Anybody aggrieved in the ragtag coalition that he piloted would rush to him at the drop of a hat to get their pound of flesh. Everybody was aware about Bah Don’s political vulnerability. The coalition had a wafer-thin majority. One disgruntled MLA was enough to bring him down. That the Government lasted a year, despite a hungry opposition constantly breathing down his neck, is a testimony to his soft accommodating nature coupled with enormous patience.
To me Bah Don was a breed apart. Perhaps, his early upbringing in RK Mission made him the person he was. Never hurting, never over-indulging, he was fair and accommodating. I must acknowledge that he was an honest and trustworthy politician.
On a personal level, as the Chief Minister, he would acknowledge if I took any good initiative and was receptive to new ideas. I recall, the day Bah Don-led MPA Government bowed out of office after one minister resigned following a bitter war with another cabinet colleague over expending central funds for a State project, he summoned a post-mortem.
At Rupshi Bungalow as all MLAs spoke their minds, there was an obvious air of despondency over the loss of power. Bah Don, who spoke last, did not indulge in blame game. Maintaining poise and putting on his characteristic smiling face, he highlighted some of the achievements of the government. That he chose to single out the work done in the Education Department as the best of all, was too flattering for my ears. That’s Bah Don for you. He always kept his chin up and tried to speak his mind even in adversity.
After the 2018 state elections, that, despite being a former Chief Minister, he volunteered to take the post of Speaker of the legislature, was a master stroke. It also brings home the fact that he always worked within himself. He created history of sorts by becoming the first Speaker in the country to concurrently hold the president’s post of a political party. Normally, a Speaker is expected to relinquish active political affiliations.
Bah Don’s untimely exit has created a gaping hole in the state political chess board. As President of UDP, he held together the party rank and file with finesse, and by opting for the Speaker’s office, he made sure that the ruling coalition was on a safe wicket. His sudden absence from the scene is therefore a double whammy for the current dispensation.
Whoever succeeds him as Speaker or as party boss will surely find it hard to walk in his big shoes!