The political climate has heated up in Meghalaya with Regional parties starting their campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) in Meghalaya comprising the UDP and HSPDP on Tuesday formally kicked off its election campaign by introducing its official common candidate from Shillong parliamentary seat Robertjune Kharjahrin.
Reckoning the strength of the common candidate of the Regional force, the meeting in one voice agreed to support the official nominee.
Speaking to Media, The MP candidate of the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) Robertjune Kharjahrin said that he is the right man to raise the long pending issues of Meghalaya in the Parliament.
Further, Kharjahrin said that during his stint as leader of social activist he has raise lots of issues including the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP), settlement of boundary dispute between Meghalaya and Assam and including international boundary between Meghalaya and Bangladesh, inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages among various issues.
The RDA candidate said that the new issues which he will raise in the parliament when he is elected includes, on how to strengthen our democracy.
“I feel that it is high time that we have constitutional provision for pre-legislative consultation, why it is important because in a representative democracy, the people after choosing their candidate, they have no say on legislation” said Kharjahrin.
Kharjahrin said “So what I do feel is that in a democracy, the people should be the supreme and in doing so we feel that there must be a constitution provision for pre-legislative consultation where any bill before introducing in the parliament or legislative assembly district council, it first place in the public domain, let the people give their view opinion thought on that they can be to place in the house”.
He added that in the past few years where the governor has imposed his or her into the legislature and there are so many bills where the governor refused to give assent.
Kharjahrin maintained that there are some Governors that take a lot of time to even assent to many Bills and this has created a big problem in the governance.
“I have seen so many states have gone to the Supreme Court even to get assent to various Bills. so I do feel that it is high time that great nation and India which is the biggest democracy in the world need to review and we look at the appointment, transfer, impeachment, rules and function of the Governor because we cannot live in a democracy where a nominal head dictate the view and opinion of the legislature who get a mandate from the people itself” he added.
When it comes to the plights of the Khasi and Garo in Bangladesh, Kharjahrin said that he will take up the issues with the ministry of external affairs into the atrocities to the Khasi and Garo people living in Bangladesh.
When asked on the prospect of the UDP in the up-coming election, Kharjahrin claimed that UDP along with HSPDP which is part of RDA has a better chance but he does not underestimate any other party be it VPP, NPP, Congress, BJP or whoever.
“I Respect all opponent but if we go in term of MLAs, MDCs and if we go by the vote share which we got during the last assembly election, we are far ahead of VPP and I appeal to the voters of VPP do not waste their votes in their candidate because at the end of the day we will land up in dividing the regional votes:.
“Let us vote for the RDA because we have a better chance in securing the seat and I pledge that any issues which the VPP is planning to raise, I will raise in the parliament also” he added.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of RDA and UDP President Metbah Lyngdoh also expressed confidence on the candidate chosen by the regional parties.
“In any kind of competition there is always a fight, so we have with us whom we have nominated and officially announced. If you look at many elections in the past when you combine the vote share of the regional parties they are always ahead and stand NO1. So these are the facts and figures that convinced both HSPDP and UDP that we have to come together and fight with one candidate,” Lyngdoh said.
The MLAs, MDCs and leaders of both the regional parties attended the meeting.