TURA/ NEW DELHI: Nine years ago, all roads in Tura led to Walbakgre as hundreds of well-wishers and supporters of Garo Hills’ famous politician, Purno Agitok Sangma, would throng his residence to celebrate their leader’s 60th birthday, when the leader released his memoir aptly titled ‘Life begins at 60’.
On Thursday, it was a solemn occasion as his supporters fondly recalled Sangma’s life and political career on his 69th birth anniversary at an official celebration at Tura district auditorium. The day was also marked as the 4th Foundation Day of the NPP, which was formed by Sangma in 2012, on the eve of the state elections.
Members of the Sangma family – his widow Soradini K Sangma, daughter Agatha and elder son and sitting legislator James K Sangma – paid floral tributes to the leader, who died of a heart attack in March. His younger son and Tura MP, Conrad K. Sangma, was in Delhi to honour his father at the Central Hall of Parliament.
Shillong MP Vincent H. Pala and other members of Parliament also paid tribute to the former Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Sangma was elected to the Lok Sabha nine times.
“My late father’s vision was for the development of Garo Hills and he always believed in the saying ‘there is no substitute for hard work’,” said James while addressing party workers and supporters in Tura.
He recalled how his father made space for the young generation in the political field. “He always emphasized on education and giving responsibilities to youth so that a new generation of leaders can emerge to take Garo Hills forward. That is the reason he chose a book as the party symbol,” said James.
In Delhi, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, M. Thambidurai, and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, P.J. Kurien, were among those who paid tribute to the leader.
In Tura, GHADC CEM Denang T. Sangma said, “No leader has achieved the stature that P.A. Sangma attained. He brought fame to Garo Hills. He was truly the leader of the Garo people.”
One of the highlights of Sangma’s political career was protection and preservation of the Garo traditional laws for which he did the groundwork for the district council to take up, recalled the GHADC chief.
Thomas A. Sangma, former Rajya Sabha MP and a confidante of late Sangma, recalled his friendship with the late leader during his days as a college student. “I was a student in college 34 years ago when P.A. Sangma arrived at our institute to interact with the students’ community. Since then we had remained close family friends,” said Thomas.
