KOCHI/THIRUVALLA: Confusion over 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan being named as BJP's chief ministerial candidate in Kerala was triggered after the party's state president K Surendran's statement to this effect on Thursday. But, as the news gained traction, the national party was forced to clarify that no such decision had in fact been taken.
Surendran, who is leading BJP's Vijaya Yathra, told reporters in Thiruvalla that the party had made Sreedharan, who implemented key projects including the Konkan Railway and Delhi Metro Rail, its CM candidate to usher in Kerala's development. "The Kochi Metro and timely completion of Palarivattom flyover 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.
Later, Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, V Muraleedharan tweeted that "BJP, under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, will strive to take care of the needs of the people of Kerala. The New Kerala under E Sreedharan Ji will pave the way for efficient and effective Governance in the state."
However, a little while after the initial tweet, Muraleedharan corrected his statement and said that he was misguided by media reports on Sreedharan's CM candidature. "Later, I cross-checked with the party chief who said that he has not made any such announcement," Muraleedharan tweeted.
Rival parties mocked the announcement by BJP, which has just one MLA in the 140-member Kerala assembly. Shashi Tharoor, MP, tweeted: "Hilarious @BJPKeralam manages to be confused about who will occupy the top floor of a building that will never be built. There will be no BJP CM in Kerala."
Earlier, Sreedharan also said he has 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 to 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 told reporters in Kochi after inspecting the flyover.
When asked about his decision to enter politics inviting criticism from the Left Front and Congress, Sreedharan 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.
When the reporters cited some survey results which predicted a second term for the Pinarayi-lead Government in Kerala, the Metroman said he didn't think so and he believed that the BJP will come to power. "It is a matter of people's perception. We have seen how Aam Aadmi Partry rose to power in Delhi," he said.
On the constituency from which he will contest in the elections, Sreedharan said he has not indicated his preference for any constituency. "Kochi is among the places that I am very much familiar with as I have supervised the first phase of Kochi metro and related works. However, I do not want to contest from a constituency which is very far away from my place like of residence-Ponnani like southern parts of the state," he said.