Metro Man E Sreedharan has an incorruptible track record. Now, he has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and is now rooting for the party in the Assembly elections in Kerala. He strongly feels the party alone can bring in honesty, transparency and industrialisation in Kerala as the State government is riddled with rampant corruption. Organiser Correspondent T Satisan spoke to Sreedharan in the wake of his joining the party. The interview touches almost all aspects related to the Southern most State as well as economy of the country. Excerpts:
Could you elaborate the specific reasons for your entry into politics?
I was engaged in many infrastructural projects in the Railways and later in Konkan Railway, Delhi Metro and many other metros of the country. My last professional responsibility was over by March 5, 2021 with the completion of the reconstruction of Palarivattom flyover in Kochi city. I felt, my experience and knowledge can be made available to the State of Kerala for its development and entering politics is one way of achieving it. Kerala needs development in five important areas—infrastructure, industry, health, education and tourism.
Want to utilise my energies for Kerala’s development, says Sreedharan
Metro Man E Sreedharan has said that he wanted to utilise his energies for the development of Kerala which is lagging behind several other States in terms of industrial development. He was speaking at a rally in Kerala where Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah was the chief guest.
“For the last 67 years, I was a Government servant. Many people have asked me why I ventured into politics after these many years. For 67 years, I worked as part of many projects for this country,” said Sreedharan.
Amit Shah with E Sreedharan
“I am still energetic and want to utilise my energy for Kerala. Whatever responsibility is given to me, I will take it up with all courage and energy,” he said at the rally marking the Vijay Yatra’s culmination taken out by BJP state president K Surendran from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram, ahead of the April 6 Assembly polls. Shri Sreedharan said his main aim was to help the BJP to come to power.
Praising Shri Sreedharan, Shri Shah said, “I would like to say a few words about Sreedharan ji. An engineer and a teacher who was part of various developmental projects. He is known as Metro Man because he constructed the first Metro in the country. But we cannot ignore his engineering marvel—the Konkan Railway—which connected southern India to the rest of the country in a rapid manner.”
“I am already 56. Many times, I have felt that it’s time to stop. But even at his age, Sreedharan ji is energetic and ready to work for this country. I would like to salute him. The infrastructure developer, Metro Man, has decided to join BJP for nation-building,” Shri Shah added.
Shri Sreedharan has also requested the party leadership to field him from a constituency not far from his residence in Ponnani in Malappuram district.
Whhy did you choose Bharatiya Janata Party?
Kerala is being ruled by CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and Congress-led United Democratic Front alternatively for the last 20 years. People are not happy with these two regimes due to corruption, nepotism and other serious scandals. They are looking for a government which will be honest, transparent and will bring in industries to the State. BJP is being looked upon as a party which will make this change.
Unemployment is grave in Kerala and industrialisation hasn’t picked up momentum. What are the reasons?
In any economy, wealth and capital are generated by industries through production of goods and service. During the last 20 years, not even one new industry has come up in Kerala. This is because of labour militancy and strikes on every issue and the State Government’s unwillingness to help the industries.
‘People are not happy with these two regimes (LDF and UDF) due to corruption, nepotism and other serious scandals. They are looking for a government which will be honest, transparent and will bring in industries to the State. BJP is being looked upon as a party which will make this change’
Do policies initiated by BJP conform to your concepts of development?
Certainly. People draw inspiration from what is happening in the rest of the country under the Narendra Modi Government.
Are Modi regime’s developmental policies in the right direction? If positive, what are the highlights?
The developmental policies of the Modi Government are in the right direction, particularly in the area of road development, self sufficiency in power generation, air travel, congenial atmosphere to promote industry and attracting foreign investments, social security for the poor farmers and to make the country self sufficient in all areas.
What are the shortcomings of our developmental policies?
Developments in the Railway sector are not adequate. Bringing in modern technologies and upgradation of existing technologies are slow.
