Excelsior Correspondent
TURA (MEGHALAYA), Mar 5: Thousands of people, with tears in eyes, thronged both the sides of the road of this picturesque town in West Garo Hills as the cavalcade carrying the body of former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma drove from the helipad to his residence where a farewell homage ceremony and a prayer meet by Church clergies was held in the memory of the departed soul. The funeral is expected to be held on Monday.
The Central Government was represented at the ceremony by Union DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh who, along with MoS Home Kiren Rijiju, escorted the casket containing mortal remains of Sangma in a special aircraft from Delhi this morning. The family members of Sangma also travelled by the same aircraft.
Speaking at the farewell prayer meet, Governor of Meghalaya, V. Shanmugana-than, described Sangma as a man of masses with a broad mind and a sensitive heart. He recalled Atal Behari Vajpayee describing Sangma as a “rainfall of compassion”.
Dr Jitendra Singh described Sangma as the first visible face from Northeast after independence, to have made his presence noticeable across the country.
Describing it as a personal loss, Dr Jitendra Singh said, as DoNER Minister, he kept in regular touch with Sangma who was a great help as a knowledgeable resource person on Northeast related issues. He regretted , “the two of us were scheduled to meet over lunch on the 10th of this month, but he suddenly passed away just five days before that”.
Kiren Rijiju described Sangma as a personal guide from whom he has learnt a lot throughout his life.
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