Purno Agitok Sangma
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A profile
The Times of India, Mar 05 2016
SEPT 1947-MARCH 2016 - Sangma: Farmers' son who became CM, LS Speaker
In life, Purno A'gitok Sang ma wore many hats. He worked as a lecturer, a lawyer and a journalist before he plunging into politics that ook him places. Ever-charming and smiling, he could win over both friends and fo s in no time. It's perhaps be ause of such qualities that he, as the Lok Sabha Speaker, onducted House procee ings with elan during 1996 8 when the rickety United Front coalition government was in office. Born about a fortnight af er the country's Indepen ence, Sangma symbolised he inclusive character of ndian democracy. Despite hailing from a small state, he ose at the national level in arious capacities.
In 1977, Sangma entered the hallowed precincts of Parliament as a representative from Tura constituency in his native Meghalaya. Four years before this, he had become the vice-president of the state Youth Congress.The nine-term MP also served as the chief minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990.
Son of a farmer couple, Dipchon Ch Marak and Chimri A Sangma, from Cha pathi village in West Garo Hills, Sangma had a number of ministerial stints at the Centre. Many remember him for his contribution as indust ry minister who boosted ce ment production in the count ry. When he was coal minister he turned his department in to a profit-making enterprise Sangma introduced plan tation crops for export in the Northeast as commerce mi nister. When he took charge of labour, he initiated socia security measures like pen sion and wages schemes for ndustrial and unorganised sector workers. As I&B minister, he worked for liberalised usage of airwaves and investments in electronic media.
Sangma hit the headlines in 1999 when he, along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar, broke away from Congress and founded Nationalist Congress Party , the basis of which was their objection to Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin when she took over as Congress president. In 2004, Sangma split NCP and merged his faction with Trinamool Congress to form the Nationalist Trinamool Congress.
A year later, Sangma resigned as a Trinamool MP and got elected to Parliament on NCP ticket. In 2012, he parted ways with the NCP over his decision to fight for the post of the President of India. In January 2013, he associated himself with the Nationalist People's Party , formed in Manipur years ago.
A graduate of St Anthony's College, Shillong, Sangma did his post-graduation in international relations from Dibrugarh University and also got a law degree.
