By Manas Chaudhuri
I have known Purno Sang ma fairly well first as a journalist and subsequently as a public man. There are many unforgettable memories of Purno. I shall try to relate a few of them.In 1977 when he was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time, he was merely 30 years of age. In his youthful exuberance while playing opposition to the then Janata government of (L) Morarji Desai, Purno first drew the attention of Indira Gandhi by his histrionics.Being diminutive in size, Purno could hardly be noticed. He more than made up by climbing on top of the desk for launching attack on the government. His articulation and politically sharp arguments were enough for him to earn the encomium of the High Command.The 1988 elections in Meghalaya, as was the political trend those days, threw a hung Assembly. Regional parties – HPU (since defunct) and HSPDP – were pitted against Congress whose charge was led by Purno who was grafted in to provide stewardship to the nascent State.By then Purno had already made a mark for himself in Delhi. As the Minister of State he handled portfolios like Home, Commerce, Labour etc., and the name P.A. Sangma had become national. Meghalaya was grappling with one of the worst phase of bloodletting and political turmoil accentuated by the then Chief Minister Capt. W.A. Sangma’s failing health.When the Congress High Command decided to ‘sacrifice’ Purno for the sake of Meghalaya, the State was once again on the throes of familiar political instability. When Purno struck a deal with the wily B.B. Lyngdoh there were unbelievable sentiments in the regional parties.That Lyngdoh surreptitiously broke away from his party to launch a new power equation created a political history of sorts.A day before the swearing in of the new government, amidst intense political speculations and kite flying, The Shillong Times, quoting highly placed sources, broke the news that the new coalition would be assuming office a day later. Quite unexpectedly, I got a call from an anxious sounding Purno asking me the source of the news item.When I told him “I got it from the horse’s mouth”, he was taken aback and retorted “I thought I was the horse’s mouth”. To this I replied “Yours is a double-headed horse”.Smart as he was, Purno got the hint that my source was B.B. Lyngdoh himself!The day Purno was sworn in as the chief minister, there was a huge turnout at the Raj Bhavan Durbar Hall. While the guests were being treated to the customary tea, a huge earthquake rocked Shillong. In a panic many guests tried to rush out of the Hall. Some crockery were also damaged in the process. As the tremor subsided and the guests regained their composure, a jovial Purno was heard saying “…after all it (his swearing in) is an earth shaking event!”
Like they say there are no permanent foes or friends in politics, B.B. Lyngdoh and Purno fell out after a couple of years. There was a cold war. Purno suspected that Lyngdoh had engineered his coalition’s downfall. Unable to digest, Purno floated the idea that politicians should by law retire at 60. Obviously, he was gunning for B.B. Lyngdoh. When newsmen approached Lyngdoh for his comments, he became furious with the questioner. “Go and tell Purno to retire when he becomes 60,” he thundered.
Purno much relished taking a swipe at his political rivals. He would pack his message with a burst of his characteristic laughter.
After he parted company with the Congress, he, along with Sharad Pawar, once travelled to Shillong by road. The Highway was in an awful state those days. Both of them had a tiring experience. D.D. Lapang was the chief minister and Purno’s wrath fell on him. With a touch of pun and sarcasm, he told pressmen that evening that Meghalaya was under the spell of ‘Disco Dancer’ (DD) and he had an experience on the highway!
In 2008 when the non-Congress MPA government was formed under the leadership of Dr Donkupar Roy, it was Purno who generally called the shots. Despite having better numbers, and ignoring pressures from within, Purno decided to hand over the reins of power to Roy, pregnant with the idea that the coalition would last longer if the first half is handled by a Khasi rather than a Garo. That was a measure of his political sagacity. His political master stroke will always be when he chose Dr F.A. Khonglam, an Independent MLA, to head the NCP-led coalition quite against the run of play.
Purno was blessed with rare political acumen, great sense of humour, magnetic personality and uncanny ability to get things done. He was a rare breed. That is why he is irreplaceable. That is why he will be missed.