The Meghalaya Assembly, on the first day of the Budget Session, paid tributes to political figures in the country who passed away, including two state legislators.
Participating in the customary obituary references on the first day of the session, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said he could not believe when he heard about the demise of Mawryngkneng MLA David Nongrum early this month.
“He was liked by everyone. He was a person who never thought badly of anybody,” Sangma said.
The Chief Minister added that he was still recovering when he got another shock when he heard the news of the demise of Rajabala MLA, Azad Zaman, who died only yesterday.
Sangma said that Zaman was a humble person who did not have any airs about himself.
“He contributed a lot to the house. The points that he brought out were done in a dignified manner and maintained decorum,” the CM added.
Leader of the opposition, Dr Mukul Sangma, said it was difficult to reconcile with the truth as he had lost two Congress colleagues in the span of less than a month.
Dr Sangma said that he had known Nongrum even before he was first elected in 2013.
“I saw in him that he had the resolve to serve the people by joining politics,” the ex-Chief Minister said.
On Zaman, Dr Sangma said that he was always available for the downtrodden, adding, “He represented a very difficult constituency. It witnessed a polarised electorate on communal lines.”
According to him, he saw in Zaman a promising leader of the non-tribal community who could unify the people.
Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh said that Nongrum understood the needs of the people of his constituency and was an active member of Assembly committees.
On Zaman, the Speaker said that he was a gem of a person.
The other two former MLAs are Grosswell Mylliemngap and Edward Kurbah.
