KOCHI: 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan, who had served the Indian Railways and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for 67 years, will be the Chief Minister candidate of the NDA in the assembly polls.
This was announced by BJP state president K Surendran at a reception accorded to his Vijaya Yatra at Thiruvalla. "The Kochi metro and timely completion of Palarivattom are typical examples of Sreedharan's brilliance. If the Metro Man is given a chance, we believe that he will be able to execute the development plans mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Surendran said.
Sridharan also decided to resign from his advisory position with the DMRC. After inspecting the reconstructed Palarivattom flyover in Kochi, he said the decision was taken as it is mandatory to resign before contesting an election.
"I will soon submit my resignation as Principal Advisor of DMRC as it is mandatory before filing the nomination for the Assembly poll. However, I hope I'll be able to monitor development projects as an MLA,” said Sreedharan after inspecting the flyover.
The bridge, which developed cracks immediately after its inauguration in 2016, was rebuilt by DMRC in a record time of five months and 10 days. “The bridge will be handed over to the state government on Friday. They will decide on the day for reopening it for the traffic,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sreedharan also surprised the BJP top brass as he hailed the Left-backed Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society Ltd for completing the Palarivattom flyover in a record time.
Earlier, when reporters asked Sreedharan about his decision to enter politics inviting criticism from the Left Front and Congress, he said he was ready for both bouquets and brickbats. “I am a keen reader of the Bhagawad Gita. If we take a strong decision, it is quite natural that some will laud the decision, while others will criticise it. I am ready for both,” he said.