BJP hopes 'Metroman' Sreedharan joining party will help it make electoral inroads in Kerala assembly polls

'Metroman'E Sreedharan's decision to join the BJP has given a boost tothe saffron's hopes to make huge electoral inroads in Kerala,one of the toughest political terrains for the party, in theAssembly polls likely to be held in April.

But the two major players in the state politics--ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF--seem to be nottoo much bothered about the 88-year-old technocrat's decisionto join the BJP in the politically volatile southern statedominated by the two alliances.

The BJP in Kerala hopes Sreedharan's entry will boostthe party's vote share especially by winning the support ofthe middle class.

Party senior leader B Radhakrishna Menon saidSreedharan's decision to work with the BJP gives a new hopeand expectation for Kerala's development.

''His decision to join the BJP has given a boost tothe morale of our party workers in the state.The developmentof Kerala will be a main issue in the coming Assembly polls,''Menon told PTI.

While Left leaders criticised Sreedharan's decision,senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy said although his opinionabout Sreedharan was good, he was saddened by the technocrat'sdecision to join the BJP.

''Sreedharan is a good engineer.But it seems like hedoes not have any understanding of the history of thecountry,'' said CPI(M) state secretary inchargeA Vijayaraghavan, reacting to his decision to join the saffronparty.

CPI leader and Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam flayedSreedharan's statement that he will be open to chiefministership if the BJP wins power in the Assembly polls.

''Sreedharan said he was ready to become the chiefminister.However, this wise man went and joined a corruptparty.He joined the BJP without seeing or knowinganything.Seems like he is in a daze since joining the saffronparty,'' Viswam said.

Vijayaraghavan also took on Sreedharan forcriticising CPI(M) strongman and Kerala chief ministerPinarayi Vijayan in one of his interviews given to the media.

Responding to Sreedharan's allegations that Kerala waswitnessing a dictatorship under Vijayan's rule, the CPI(M)leader said his remarks against the Chief Minister were''irrational.'' ''His words show that he has no faith in democracyhere,'' Vijayaraghavan said.

J Prabhash, political analyst and former politicalscience professor with the University of Kerala, said:''He isa self-proclaimed chief minister candidate who believes thatpeople will follow him.'' ''By saying that people will follow him if he isprojected as the chief ministerial candidate, he is taking thepeople of Kerala for granted,'' he said.

Prabhash, former pro-Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity, said people respect him as an engineer, an uprightprofessional with an unblemished career.

''When he speaks politics, there will be a counternarrative which he should be prepared to accept. Which hewon't.He has not faced anything like that,'' he said.

A political observer, who did not wish to be named,said the BJP hopes the entry of Sreedharan, an icon ofprobity in public life, will boost the party's vote share inthe state.

''He is an icon of probity in public life.This willhelp him to have a peer influence in Kerala's middle classsociety,'' he said.

The much-admired technocrat's entry into politicsthrough the BJP was announced on Thursday by state party chiefK Surendran at a press conference in Kozhikode.

The BJP said Sreedharan will join the party during itstwo-week long 'Vijaya Yatra' commencing on Sunday fromKasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram to ''expose the misrule'' of thepresent LDF government and previous dispensation led by UDFand prepare the party's ground for the Assembly elections.

Sreedharan, who is credited with changing the face ofpublic transport system in the country, has said he wasjoining the BJP to ensure justice for the people of Kerala whowere being deprived of the fruits of development due to the''self-centric'' attitude of the CPI(M)-led LDF government.PTIRRT TGB BNBN BN

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)