TURA, OCT 5: Former Lok Sabha speaker and Tura Lok Sabha MP Purno Agitok Sangma faced an embarrassing situation during an election rally in Dadenggre in West Garo hills where protestors gathered displaying anti-Sangma placards.
The protestors was led by Rupa Marak of Garo Students Union (GSU) and members of other civil organisations who alleged that Sangma made several promises in the past but none were never fulfilled.
Sangma is drumming up support for National Peoples’ Party (NPP) candidates for the upcoming Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) poll slated for October 12.
At 11:30 am Sangma accompanied by his legislator son James K. Sangma and NPP candidate for Jengjal GHADC constituency Grahambel A Sangma arrived at Dedenggre public playground. The stage was set and ready with presence of about 1000 people.
At least 300 protestors were seated beside the crowd holding placard, which reads in Garo as – Chingna aganchakanio nanga; Dadenggre ni mande rangna tol’e katta agane basakona makre chrokatgen? (How long will you lie to the people of Dadenggre and make the monkey dance? We need a reply from you!)
Speaking to this reporter Rupa Marak of GSU said, “We staged the protest against him because he broke the trust of the people of Dadenggre area. We wanted to remind him that people will not remain silent to all his promises anymore”.
Marak said that in 2007 Purno Sangma while inaugurating the Dadenggre Puri Higher Secondary School told the gathering that he will establish a college at Dadenggre. He also informed that while touring the flood hit Dadenggre area in which a major bridge had collapsed, Purno had said that a “folding bridge” will be sanctioned soon in the area, which is yet to see the light of the day.
“The folding bridge will be installed very soon at Dadenggre. It is being shipped for Dadenggre via Agia in Assam”, Marak quoted Purno.
Marak informed that Sangma briefly spoke to the agitating crowd at the venue and at the end of the speech said, “You should tell this to Mukul Sangma not me”.
Though Purno Sangma passed the buck to chief minister Mukul Sangma, however, the crowd was not in a mood to listen to him.
Marak said that the agitating group confronted Purno on his remark made against chief minister Mukul Sangma. “The promises were made by you and not Mukul Sangma”, Marak quoting the mob said.
Reacting to the allegations, Purno Sangma told this scribe, “The protest was engineered by candidates of rival political party”.
On the promises, which were not fulfilled, Sangma said, “I have never made any false promises. I have done so much during my tenure as chief minister of Meghalaya. Rongram – Chibinang road via Dadenggre was sanctioned in West Garo Hills. I have done enough for the area, when people had not demanded for it. I have done things even without getting any memorandum from the people”.
On the allegation of “folding bridge”, Purno said, “I have never heard of anything like folding bridge. It is a baseless claim by the protestors”.
He termed the protest as “democratic rights of the people” and did not wish to comment much. When asked, whether Congress and Mukul Sangma had engineered the protest, Purno Sangma, said, “It is natural” but did not elaborate.- From Our Reporter
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