Metro man E. Sreedharan along with his Kochi Metro team after the inauguration Saturday. Josekutty J PanackalAs Kerala began a new journey on the Kochi Metro, the city did not forget the man behind the metro mission – E. Sreedharan.
The Kochi Metro inaugural function on Saturday saw the who's who of Indian polity including prime minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the dais. But as KMRL chief Elias George listed out the names of dignitaries, it was metro man Sreedharan who got the best ovation.
PM Narendra Modi dedicates Kochi Metro to the nation
The packed hall at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kaloor resounded with a thundering applause as Sreedharan's name was mentioned, in a fitting tribute to the man who made Kochi Metro a reality. So much so that Elias George had to stop his speech midway and wait for the audience to finish their acknowledgment.
Generally, it's PM Modi, who sweeps the crowd with his charming one-liners and speeches. But Keralites did not seem to be too impressed as Modi ditched his trademark 'mere pyare des vasiyon' and greeted the crowd in Malayalam. The Malayalam introduction just managed to eke out a lukewarm response. Probably, the crowd wasn't ready for two back-to-back Malayalam greetings by non-Keralite people. For, union minister Venkaiah Naidu, who spoke before the PM, too had begun his speech in Malayalam.
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It needs to be remembered that Sreedharan's name was left out of the list of people who would join Modi on the dais. It was only after a controversy erupted and CM Pinarayi wrote to PM's office that Sreedharan was allowed to come on stage.
But that does not necessarily mean that Modi's popularity has taken a hit. A large number of people had thronged the roads that led to Kaloor stadium earlier on Saturday. People behind barricades waved as the prime minister's motorcade whizzed past them.
