First death anniversary of Sangma today
SHILLONG: On the eve of the first death anniversary of former Lok Sabha Speaker and state political stalwart P.A Sangma, the three former chief ministers, who had close associations with Sangma, recalled him as a unique personality
They shared their recollections to The Shillong Times and summed up that he was a man of the masses.
Former Chief Minister D.D Lapang, who worked under late Sangma, said that the good works carried out by him will never die though he is no more.
“While remembering about the sad day when PA Sangma left the world, I can only say that the footprints of good works he had created will not be washed away by the torrents of time”, Lapang said.
Lapang, who is also the MPCC president, said that he had the opportunity of being in the cabinet under the leadership of Sangma when he was the chief minister.
“He was a man who had farsightedness and was quick to act on any given situation; he called a spade a spade, His dynamism encouraged a lot of us who were in his ministry to work hard”, Lapang recalled.
According to Lapang, his approachability and down to earth behaviour is for everyone to emulate. “He was very informal and there was no reservation in his dealings”, Lapang said.
Another former chief minister SC Marak, who was also close to Sangma, said that the late leader was an effective personality to be remembered by all.
“As a colleague, he was very helpful. He was committed to address the varied problems of the state and wanted to see a developed Meghalaya”, Marak said.
Marak also termed Sangma as the man of the masses. “He had the great quality of mixing with all sections of people freely. He had an amiable personality which needs to be emulated by all”, Marak said.
Former chief minister and UDP president Donkupar Roy said that late Sangma is ‘too big a personality’ for him to make any comments on the eve of his death anniversary.
“I should say that he was a great and smart leader and I liked him. He was very much senior to all of us, but he made all of us feel that we were equal”, Roy said.
Roy was the chief minister under NCP-UDP alliance in 2008 after the Assembly polls, while Sangma who was then with NCP preferred to the chairman of Meghalaya State Planning Board.
There was an arrangement to share the post of chief minister in the subsequent years, but Roy could complete only one year in office as Congress came back to power.
“When I reminded about the agreement to share the post of the chief minister by NCP after my stint, Purno told me that stage wound not come”, Roy recalled.