The Sangma mystery

The Sangma camp, of course, would strongly disagree that Mr Mukherjee and Ms Paul should start planning the curtains for their new houses, as the saying goes. P A Sangma’s daughter, Agatha Sangma, has continued to support her father’s presidential ambitions, even while she continues to be a member of the UPA’s council of ministers. Indeed, Mr Sangma’s war room is at 34 Aurangzeb Road, Agatha’s official residence. This has led to much grumbling, with many asking why Agatha, the council’s youngest member, receives preferential treatment. While Mr Sangma has been stressing his identity as a Christian and a member of a Scheduled Tribe – saying “corporate India may be with Pranab, but God is with me” – Agatha has not been too far behind. After skipping a meeting of her Nationalist Congress Party (which expelled her father), she was seen on Monday addressing a rally in Chhattisgarh in memory of a heroine of the local Scheduled Tribes, Rani Durgawati. Clearly, no one quite knows how the mystery of the UPA’s forbearance will end. Except, perhaps for Agatha — and her sister, whom the whodunit-loving former Speaker named Christie.