By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS,
Shillong : Politics is in their blood. This may sound clichéd, but it is true for the family of former Lok Sabha speaker and tribal Garo strongman Purno Agitok Sangma.
Nine time parliamentarian from Tura in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills, Sangma launched his two sons – Conrad and James – into politics earlier this year. The two brothers contested the assembly elections from their father’s party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Both won the polls – Conrad is now a cabinet minister in charge of the high-profile finance, tourism, power and a few more departments, while James is the parliamentary secretary for home.
The senior Sangma is the chairman of the Meghalaya Planning Board, although he is considered to be the de facto chief minister of the state.
Now the youngest of the siblings, Agatha Kongkal Sangma, will set foot in politics by contesting as the NCP candidate for the Tura parliamentary constituency, a seat that fell vacant after Sangma resigned to contest local elections in Meghalaya. The by-poll for the Tura seat is scheduled May 22.
Is Sangma trying to follow in the footsteps of the Gandhi family by encouraging dynastic rule?
“I am not trying to encourage any dynastic rule. Both my sons are foreign-educated and it is our duty to pay the state back. We need educated people in politics,” said Sangma.
“Even my daughter is a highly educated person.”
The only person not interested in active politics is Sangma’s wife.
Tura, dominated by the Garo tribe to which he belongs, has been Sangma’s bastion. It elected him to parliament nine times since 1977 and twice to the state assembly.
Agatha is a lawyer by profession and practising in New Delhi before she was initiated into politics. She is also a Masters in Environmental Management from the School of Geography in Britain’s Nottingham University.
Prior to the assembly elections in March, the senior Sangma decided to quit national politics. He had left state politics 22 years ago, but made a mark nationally by getting elected to the Lok Sabha.
He was Meghalaya’s chief minister on two occasions before being toppled by a political veteran. “This is a major political decision at the fag end of my political career as I am already 60. I am back here to stay with my state, and the region is expecting a lot from me,” said Sangma of his decision to quit national politics.
Many here feel that Sangma spoilt his chances of getting into one of the country’s highest offices by quitting the Congress in 1999. He, Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar targeted Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over her foreign origin.
While Pawar managed to get his way back to the Congress-led government in New Delhi, Sangma got sidelined.