SHILLONG, Sep 3: Former Inspector General of Police Mariahom Kharkrang joined the BJP on Saturday.
He had opted for voluntary retirement before taking a plunge into politics.
He told The Shillong Times that he travelled across the state throughout his service and he felt something was amiss as people continued to migrate from rural areas to cities to earn a livelihood.
“While in service, I was restricted to police-related works but I always wanted to take up a lot of issues. This (his life in politics) will be more challenging but a better platform where I can take up issues affecting the state’s development,” Kharkrang said.
He said the allegation that BJP is communal is just a fallacy and the party’s main agenda is development. He cited the examples of some BJP-ruled states where development is taking place.
“If you bring such fear, we will lose out on development,” the former police officer said.
Stating that his agenda for North Shillong is health, education, employment and security, Kharkrang said the constituency houses the biggest commercial area of Shillong and the law and order problem often starts from there.
“That is where my experience as a retired police officer will benefit to ensure that the constituency is safe and secure,” he said.
Asked about the presence of several candidates in the constituency, he said the voters are intellectual and they will not go by false promises.
“I hope the voters will look into the background of each candidate. They had seen how I functioned as a government official,” he said, adding that the BJP has not yet confirmed a ticket to him.
“I am one of the aspirants and I leave it to the wisdom of the party. If it finds me capable, it would give the ticket to me,” he said.
