'Metro man' E Sreedharan quits active politics, says 'Doesn't need to be in politics to serve people'

The Padma Vibhushan recipient indicated that he is not a politician since he is a bureaucrat who can always serve the public differently. He has three Trusts, and he has work to perform in each of them.

'Metroman' E Sreedharan announced his retirement from active politics on Thursday, some eight months after losing the Assembly elections in his native state of Kerala. Many people, he claims, are unaware that he is now 90 years old. Keeping his age in mind, he stated that he has decided to retire from active politics. The Padma Vibhushan recipient indicated that he is not a politician since he is a bureaucrat who can always serve the public differently. He has three Trusts, and he has work to perform in each of them.

The technocrat stated that he learned a good lesson from the Bharatiya Janata Party's setback in the Kerala assembly elections and that he does not need to be in politics to assist people. He stated that he was originally disappointed by his election defeat, but then realised that even if he had won, a single MLA cannot do much for the people. Sreedharan, known as 'Metroman' for his service as managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation from 1995 to 2012, joined the BJP in February ahead of Kerala Assembly elections.

The BJP nominated E Sreedharan for Chief Minister. Nonetheless, the party failed to gain even one seat in the assembly elections, which saw the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front to retake power for the second time in a row. He was defeated by Shafi Parambil, a young Congress lawmaker. His retirement allegedly caught the Kerala division of the BJP off guard. "We heard about this in the media," BJP state chief K Surendran said of his resignation from active politics. He added that he will be around, and we will seek his counsel and assistance on critical topics.