Sreedharan joins BJP, to contest polls
TRIVANDRUM: E Sreedharan, popularly known as India’s “metro man” for his leadership role in changing the country’s urban public transport scenario, has finally taken a political plunge.
The man behind the metros in many cities, including Delhi and the Kerala port city of Kochi, said on Thursday that he was joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 88-year-old also hinted at running in the state elections in his home state just two months away as a BJP candidate.
He said both the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Let Democratic Front (LDF) led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI ( M) disillusioned him.
“Kerala is missing the development boat because of the state’s confrontational approach with the federal government,” Sreedharan told reporters.
“The state needs a change and I believe the BJP can bring it. If you need to do something good for the country, you need to join them.”
The BJP, which has only one legislator in the 140-member state legislative assembly currently, is targeting to raise it to double-digit now.
Last week, the BJP’S spokesperson, B Gopalakrishnan, said his party’s aim this time was to eliminate the Congress this time and occupy its space as principal opposition.
The rightwing Hindu nationalist party has stepped up atack on the Congress party and its key partner Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) while going sot on the CPI ( M) and its allies.
It has also lately been actively wooing former bureaucrats and celebrities to achieve this goal.
Superstar Suresh Gopi who joined the party six years back is now a member of Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament.
Cricketer S Sreesanth had also joined the BJP and unsuccessfully contested the 2016 state elections, giving a tough fight to the UDF and LDF candidates.
Former state police chief TP Senkumar and former anti-corruption wing chief Jacob Thomas are also likely to contest on the BJP ticket this time.
“I have been living in the state for the past ten years ater my retirement (as Delhi Metro’s managing director) associating with various projects,” Sreedharan said.
“Now I have told them (the BJP leaders) that I’m willing to contest the election. On which constituency that I should contest, it’s for them to decide.”