I said sorry to Sonia for what I had done to her: P A Sangma

“I said sorry to her for what I had done to her. She was so gracious. She said,‘Don’t worry. Forget about it. Past is past’,” Sangma told The Indian Express today. Asked why he chose to apologise,he said: “I apologised because I am convinced that the issue is closed. It was high time we buried the past.”

He was all praise for the Gandhi family. Rahul Gandhi called him up today to express regret that he would not be able to make it to the Sunday reception because he had prior commitment in his constituency. “He was again so gracious to call me,” said Sangma,overwhelmed by the warm response he got from the family. Sonia Gandhi accepted his invitation to the reception.

He recalled how Gandhi was clapping at Ashoka Hall in Rashtrapati Bhavan after Agatha took the oath of office and secrecy in Hindi. She later made it a point to express appreciation for Agatha,telling her how she was not aware that she spoke Hindi so well. “She has given a lot of encouragement to Agatha,” he said.

Though he maintained Gandhi’s foreign origin was now a closed issue,he skirted a direct reply to Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan’s suggestion at the Idea Exchange programme of The Indian Express last week that there was no reason for the existence of the NCP since the issues on which the party had been created were not relevant any more. “Having formed a political party,got recognised as a national party,and having got an identity,it is difficult for Sharad Pawar,” said Sangma.

Leaving the reins of the party in Meghalaya to his sons,Sangma now plans to “return to New Delhi” and spend more time here. With over three decades of experience in politics and administration in different capacities at the Centre and in the state,he would like to share his experience with young parliamentarians. “If they want,I can discuss everything with the young ministers and MPs — about administration,bureaucracy,parliamentary procedures and how to deal with questions,etc. My services will be available to them,” said Sangma.

Although he refused to discuss his future plans — except that he would like to help Agatha and her young ministerial colleagues — NCP sources said he was seeking to chart a different path for his children. Other than his personal charisma,the NCP could not make much of a dent in the North-East and he apparently does not see much role for the NCP at the national level in future. Since joining the BJP is out of question,Sangma may well be looking at the Congress as his children’s future party while he slowly distances himself from active politics.