TURA: In India’s increasing political din, in Meghalaya’s political clamour, one voice will no longer be heard as the sun sets on the horizon for one of the greatest political sons of Garo Hills.
Purno Agitok Sangma is no more.
A former chief minister and Lok Sabha Speaker who made Garo Hills more audible in the political lexicon of mainland India, P.A. Sangma’s sudden tragic death in New Delhi has cast a pall of gloom throughout the Garo Hills and beyond.
His once upon a time political opponent and educationist I.K. Sangma said it in one sentence, “It is a very big and irreparable loss for Garo Hills.”
Being P.A. Sangma has not been easy. The son of modest parents who was immensely helped by Catholic missionaries during his educational years, Purno shared a life-long bonhomie with the church.
“I feel extremely sad having lost a very close and dear friend who always helped the church in times of need,” lamented retired Bishop of Tura Rt. Rev. George Mamalassary. Bishop Mamalassary shared a close friendship with P.A. Sangma since their first meeting in 1960.
“It is a personal loss for me,” added Bishop Mamalassary.
From being a political novice from little known Chapahati village, he waged and won countless political battles.
In his eventful and at times not so smooth political sojourn, P.A. Sangma had been called names and earned many epithets, some flattering and others not so.
From being called a maverick to a magician with parallels to Chanakya thrown in, P.A. Sangma had heard it all. And yet he remained his own man, discursive humorous and articulate with a mind all his own.
Often he would make light of the brickbats hurled at times as he did once while interacting with young students. At other times he would quote Tagore in perfect Bengali to explain his political dispensation – that of a lonely crusader.
Whether one demurred with his politics or differed with it, his presence was one not easily wished away. For his supporters he remained a figure who could do no wrong, for his rivals he was their bête noire, at times an enfant terrible at other times a formidable foe dismantling them in countless political debates and electoral battles.
In spite of suffering a huge dent in the Assembly elections of 2013 losing much political ground to the Congress war machine when his party NPP was reduced to just two MLAs, the little man of big politics rose like a phoenix to swing the political wind in his direction in the 2014 general elections breaking all election records to win Tura Lok Sabha seat for the 9th time.
He proved his opponents wrong once again in 2015 by winning the largest number of council seats in the Garo Hills district council elections pushing the Congress to the runners up position.
The political paradigm of Meghalaya will surely wear an altered look minus this charismatic figure with a penchant for conjuring up the impossible.
Meghalaya’s political skyline has lost its lustre with the demise of P.A. Sangma. It will never be the same again.
