Quitting active politics, says ‘Metroman’, advocates change of approach in Kerala BJP

In what could be a big setback to BJP in Kerala, ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan, who had unsuccessfully contested the recent Assembly elections from Palakkad constituency, on Thursday announced that he is quitting “active politics”.

Sreedharan, who was projected as BJP’s chief minister candidate in the polls and was recently included in the party’s national executive, also said corrections are required in the party’s state unit.

“If BJP is ready to change its approach in Kerala, the party can come to power. Corrective steps are required in the party,’’ said Sreedharan, who had joined the saffron party just before the elections.

Addressing the media in his hometown, Malappuram, Sreedharan on Thursday said he had learnt many lessons from the electoral defeat. “Quitting active politics does not mean I will leave politics,” he said. “I had contested the elections as a bureaucrat. I did not feel any regret for having contested the elections. I have overcome the dejection which I felt immediately after the defeat. I am 90 and it is dangerous to foray into politics at this age.”

Sreedharan had lost the elections to Congress’s sitting legislator Shafi Parambil in Palakkad.

Reacting to the announcement, BJP state president K Surendran said the party expects Sreedharan to continue in his present role. “He is still active in BJP. Even though he was defeated in the elections, the party included him in the national executive, expecting his valuable service,’’ Surendran said.

Speaking at a private function in nearby Ponnani, Sreedharan also criticised the conceptualisation of the proposed K-Rail project, connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod, saying it was “ill-conceived”, lacked technical perfection, and is being “badly executed”, PTI reported.

“I am not against the proposal of a high-speed rail per se, but the present one needs lots of corrections, including its basic track width. It should be a broad gauge instead of the proposed standard gauge,” he said.

Sreedharan said more than 300 km tracks are proposed through land, including agricultural fields, which is unscientific and causes heavy damage, including to drainage, people’s passage and unprecedented environmental impacts. “The project cannot be completed in five years, as claimed,” he said, according to PTI. “The cost estimated is much less than actual. Moreover, the cost of a project should be estimated based upon its completion date…”