Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the sudden demise of former Lok Sabha speaker P.A Sangma and described him to be a 'self-made leader', who made a monumental contribution towards the development of the north-east.
"Shri PA Sangma was a self-made leader whose contribution towards the development of the Northeast is monumental. Saddened by his demise. Shri PA Sangma's tenure as Lok Sabha Speaker is unforgettable. His down to earth personality and affable nature endeared him to many," he said in a series of tweets.
The Prime Minister also said that Sangma was deeply influenced by freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Nose.
He also shared a link of a programme which he, along with Sangma, had attended in 2012 on Azad Hind Fauj.
Meanwhile, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said that Sangma's tenure as the Lok Sabha speaker was praiseworthy and it can't be forgotten by the Parliament and the people of this country.
"He was a very good friend of mine and a very good human being. His work as the Lok Sabha speaker is praiseworthy and it cannot be forgotten by the Parliament and the nation. He was always working for the development of the north-east. His demise is a very big loss for the Indian democracy. The Parliament has lost one of its ideal speakers," Gadkari said.
Sangma, who unsuccessfully contested the presidential election as an opposition candidate against Pranab Mukherjee, was 68 years old.
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The former Meghalaya chief minister was elected to the Lok Sabha eight times since his first entry to the Lower House in 1977. He was the Lok Sabha Speaker between 1996 and 1998.
Sangma was expelled from the Congress in 1999 along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar for raising a banner of revolt against Sonia Gandhi over her foreign origin issue. Subsequently, the trio formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
However, he left the NCP in 2004 and formed a regional party, which later merged with Trinamool Congress. He later rejoined the NCP, but only to part ways with it later and unsuccessfully contested the presidential election against Pranab Mukherjee. He was supported by BJP, BJD, AIADMK and others.