Skip to main content

Youngest minister raring to work for northeast

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS): She is young, confident and raring to "bridge the gap" between her home region, the northeast, and the rest of the country. Agatha Sangma, the youngest minister of the Manmohan Singh government, may not be "choosy" about her portfolio, but is sure geared up to work for grassroot development.
Looking confident as she handled scores of media queries in near-impeccable Hindi right after the news broke, 27-year-old Sangma said that in all probability she will get the rural development ministry.  
"I am privileged and since this is my first opportunity, I will not be choosy. Whatever position I am given, I will be happy," the first time minister, who hails from Meghalaya and is the daughter of former Lok Sabha Speaker P A.Sangma, told IANS.  
"Like last time, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Parful Patel got the civil aviation ministry and Sharad Pawar got the agriculture portfolio. Therefore if the status quo is maintained then I may get the rural development ministry which was given to Suryakanta Patil," she said.
Obviously thrilled at being recommended for the council of ministers, Sangma said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called her Wednesday afternoon at her 34, Aurangzeb Road residence, giving her the news.  
"He (Manmohan Singh) called me in the afternoon and told me to come for the swearing-in ceremony. That is when the news was confirmed," Sangma, dressed in a navy blue wrap around skirt and a light blue checked shirt, said.  
A lawyer by profession, Sangma took her LL.B degree from Pune University and then joined the bar in Delhi High Court. She did her masters from Nottingham University in the UK on environmental management.  
Her plunge into politics came after her brothers, Conrad Sangma and James Sangma. She entered active politics with the NCP nominating her as the party candidate for the May 22 by-election last year to Tura Lok Sabha seat in Garo hills in Meghalaya.  
All geared up to work for the development of the northeast now, Sangma said: "The main problem when it comes to development there is that the northeast is considered seperate from the rest of the country because it is culturally very different".  
"We are economically and culturally segregated. Now I have a big responsibility - to integrate the northeast with the rest of the country. Economic empowerment of the women and giving employment to the youth without losing our cultural heritage will be my priority," Sangma said. (IFP)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KCP(MC) is the proxy of security forces, say KYKL and UNLF

IMPHAL, May 30: The KYKL and the UNLF, in a joint communique to the press condemned the bomb explosion at the RIMS within the office complex of the institute`s director, Dr. Fimate, calling it an act of terrorism calculated to tarnish the image of the revolutionary movement in the state.The joint statement said, intimidating the sick and ailing is an unforgivable act of inhumanity, adding that under humanitarian norms hospitals are spared even during the most bitter wars.The two underground organisations said the pattern of these assaults by the KCP(MC) should have made it clear to everybody by now that the KCP(MC) is the masked proxy of the Indian forces with an agenda to alienate the revolutionary campaign waged by revolutionary organisations from the people.It however said this campaign by the "Indian Occupational Forces" would boomerang on it sooner than later.Explaining further, the two outlawed groups said the KCP(MC) is now holed up within the IG (AR) South headquarte...
Post a Comment
Read more

KYKL clarifies on killing of Prof Islamuddin

IMPHAL, May 30: The underground KYKL in a lengthy clarification on the matter of its killing Prof. Islamuddin of the Manipur University, said it understands the outrage of the public in the killing of a teacher, but is saddened by the response of Meitei Pangal organisations that the KYKL had targeted a Meitei Pangal deliberately. It said this was far from the truth and that the KYKL treats Meitei Pangals, Meitei Chistians, Meitei Buddists, Meitei Hindus, Meitei Athiests as belonging to one Meitei community, and this is very much enshrined in its constitution. It said Prof. Islamuddin was killed not because of his ethnicity or community but because he was part of a corrupt clique which was usurping all powers of the Manipur University in order to convert the university into their private fiefdom. It said the KYKL has Meitei Pangal cadres in it and the Meitei Pangal community would realise the party is never against this fraternal community at all in time. It said the MU clique had to be...
Post a Comment
Read more

Karate Chop

By Rajinder Puri Journalists called Prakash Karat India’s most powerful man. More powerful than the PM, that is. They called him India’s second most powerful politician. Second to Sonia Gandhi, that is. Karat’s fame grew with his handling of the N-deal issue. How did he handle it? When the UPA government decided to execute the NDA government’s initiative for an Indo-US N-deal, Karat opposed it. He said national security and India’s independent foreign policy were compromised. The Left would withdraw support. The government went ahead and negotiated the 123 Agreement for the deal. Karat sought the agreement text. The government showed him the text. The agreement did not refer to nuclear tests. But the US government passed a domestic law, the Hyde Act, which forbade help to any nation conducting nuclear tests. Karat said that the Hyde Act deprived India of its independence and jeopardised its national security. The government said that the US President was bound by the Hyde Act, not the...
Post a Comment
Read more