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‘Metro man’ Sreedharan to join BJP, says will contest Kerala elections
Sreedharan wields a lot of respect and standing in Kerala and his entry could boost the BJP in the state where the party remains far behind the Congress and the Left Front.
Elattuvalappil Sreedharan (88) better known as India’s Metro Man, will join the Bharatiya Janata Party, said BJP state president K Surendran on Thursday in Kozhikode.
He said Sreedharan will be inducted into the party during his pre-poll ‘Vijya Yatra’ which will be flagged off on February 22.
“It is true, I will join the BJP. I have been staying in the state for the last ten years and observing the political climate. Both fronts, ruling LDF and opposition UDF, are interested in furthering their organizations. The state has immense potential, but development takes a backseat always. If I can do something positive, I will be happy,” said Sreedharan who is leading a semi-retired life in his ancestral home in Ponnani (Malappuram) district.
Sreedharan wields a lot of respect and standing in Kerala and his entry could boost the BJP in the state where the party remains far behind the Congress and the Left Front.
He said the BJP’s state leaders had approached him last week and he agreed to their request to join the party.
“They suggested that I should contest in the upcoming assembly election. I agreed to this also. It is for the party to decide where I should contest,” he said adding he will be into healthy politics and Metro mannot interested in mere mudslinging or gimmicks.
The BJP has an unwritten code of not giving tickets to contest an election to candidates who are above 75 years of age. Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa has been an exception to the unwritten rule.
A retired civil engineer from Indian railways he revolutionised the way the urban people commute. The Pambhan bridge in Rameswaram, Konkan railways and the Delhi Metro are among the prestigious projects that carry his signature.
