Shillong, March 19: The temperature on the campaign trail has barely started to rise, and already two aspirants are at one another’s throat in the prestigious Shillong parliamentary seat.
Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) candidate, Robertjune Kharjahrin, has moved into central ring and thrown a punch, literally speaking, towards another serious contender from the opposition camp deriding his opponent for taking his father’s surname when the Khasi community follows a matrilineal system and the mother’s surname.
Kharjahrin is being fielded for the Shillong Lok Sabha seat as the common Regional Democratic Alliance candidate, consisting of two parties- the United Democratic Party (UDP) and Hill State People Democratic Party (HSPDP).
Although stopping short of naming his rival, it was evident who he was attacking when he raised the controversy over the surname during an election meeting in Ranikor, South West Khasi Hills district on Tuesday mocking his political rival for the paternal tag.
“There are two regional parties fighting for the Shillong-I Parliamentary Seat. Interestingly, one candidate follows the Khasi tradition by adopting his mother’s surname, while another candidate adopts the father’s surname, contrary to the Khasi system. The people should find out and decide,” encouraged Kharjahrin.
He claimed that such matters are not mere election gimmicks or mudslinging between regional parties, but are based on facts.
“A person who does not acknowledge his own culture and tradition is like a tree with its roots dead,” lashed out the RDA candidate.
Hoping to woo voters of Ranikor, Kharjahrin outlined the main ideology of the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) saying it is committed to strengthening the Sixth Schedule, particularly empowering Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) under Article 200 which aims at safeguarding and preserving the unique matrilineal society practiced by the Khasi community, something he finds his opponent deficit in.
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