Purno Agitok Sangma, the former speaker of the Lok Sabha passed away this Friday morning, after suffering from a heart attack. He was 68 years old.
Sagma was speaker of the Lok Sabhafrom from 1996 to 1998.
News of his demise was announced by current Lok Sabha Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan in the house. The Lok sabha session which was in motion at the time was adjourned and will remain so till March 8.
Sangma was known for his sence of humour and quick wit. He had earned a reputation of being a wise parliamentarian and was often credited to have had an unique approach in conducting the proceedings of the House.
Expressing her grief over the loss, Sumitra said “I learnt how to run the Lok Sabha with a smile from Sangma ji.”
Before being elected as the Lok Sabha speaker in 1996, Sangma also served as a chief minster of Meghalaya(1988-1990). His invaluable contributions to the North-East made him one of the most influential and inspirational leaders of the region.
Born on September 01, 1947 in Chapahati, a small tribal village in West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya, Sangma’s entry into politics was not an easy one. According to analysts he has never played the minority card and is considered as a self made leader who climbed up the ladder the hard way. In fact it is reported that, he briefly worked as a lawyer, lecturer and journalist before venturing into politics.
The first major milestone of his political career was when he was appointed as the vice-president of the Youth Congress in 1973. Later in 1975, he was appointed General Secretary of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee and remained in that post till 1980.
Sangma entry into national politics happened in 1977, when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Tura constituency. He was only 30 years old back then. This eventually paved way for him to join the Union Cabinet, serving as Minister of State for Commerce and Supply(1984), Minister of State for Home Affairs(1984) and Minister of State for Labor with Independent Charge(1986).
The biggest moment for Sangma undoubtedly came in 1996, when he was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minster Narendra Modi took on twitter to express their condolences.
Shri PA Sangma was a self-made leader whose contribution towards the development of the Northeast is monumental. Saddened by his demise.
