Shillong, Sep 13: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has expressed his deep condolence at the demise of veteran political leader and former Chief Minister Dr DD Lapang late Friday night.
The chief minister described Dr Lapang as a “tall figure” and a “great leader”, who had contributed significantly to the state’s development.
“It is a great loss not only from the state point of view but from my personal point of view …Throughout his political career, he has done so much for our state, so much for our people. I have learned so much from him. I have witnessed all the different works that he has done and it has been a great inspiration to me,” he said while expressing his deepest condolences to the family members and prayed for their strength to bear the loss.
Revealing that he had met Dr Lapang just 10 days prior to his hospitalisation, Sangma said he was amazed by the veteran leader’s sharp presence of mind and alertness.
The Chief Minister also shared his personal connection with Dr Lapang whom he met as a young boy in 1988 when Conrad’s father, Purno A Sangma, was the Chief Minister. He remembered Dr Lapang’s contributions to the state and the inspiration to his own political career.
Meanwhile, in honour of the five-time former chief minister, the state government has declared three days of mourning, cancelling all official celebrations and large programmes.
A state funeral will be held on Monday at 1 pm, preceded by a prayer at Dr Lapang’s residence at 10 am.
Recalling his contributions as Chief Adviser to the Meghalaya government, Sangma praised Dr Lapang’s dedication and seriousness towards his role, despite his advanced age.
The Chief Minister noted that Dr Lapang was proactive in providing guidance and support, often calling or writing to discuss key issues and share his insights. Sangma expressed his gratitude to Dr Lapang’s counsel, acknowledging the value he brought to the government.
“Lot of people would have felt that it was just a position that I had given for the sake of giving a political post to him, but Sir took his job very seriously. Whenever there was any kind of political situation or some issues, he would make it a point to call me, he would make it a point to write to me to tell me that this is what he thought about that particular issue. He was very active and he took his job very seriously. I thank him for all the guidance and support that he gave me,” stated the chief minister.
