GUWAHATI: Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) candidate from Shillong parliamentary constituency, T.H.S Bonney says he aspires to transform the education system in Meghalaya, which will be a primary issue for him in the Lok Sabha elections.
A retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, Bonney has been preparing for the polls over the past two and half years, having visited several villages across the state to generate awareness among the villagers.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Saturday, Bonney said, “I live in a village and have worked in places outside the Northeast, including Odisha, as an IFS officer. Over the past couple of years, I have visited many villages to generate awareness and bring a change in the education sector. I feel that the academic syllabus should vary from region to region as the geography and topography varies. This however is not the case and we have the same syllabus across regions.”
He said India could not develop if its villages remained backward and unless the benefits of science and technology reached the rural areas, there could be no development.
“Majority of the villages in Meghalaya are lagging behind because of neglect, which is an area I want to address. Besides, I have tried to generate awareness among voters on their right and need to vote as in the past the turnout has been very low in some constituencies,” Bonney said.
The long-pending boundary dispute with Assam also features among his top priorities.
Asked about his chances in the April 11 Lok Sabha elections, he said, “I intend to put up a tough fight. However there are heavyweights from big parties in the reckoning. On the contrary, ours is a small, regional party, for which funds are a constraint.”
