Technocrat E Sreedharan, who is set to enter the political fray by joining the BJP next week, on Friday weighed in on controversial issues like "love jihad", practically agreeing with saffron party's stance, saying that he has seen "girls being tricked into marriage in Kerala."
Speaking to NDTV on Friday, Sreedharan, popular by his moniker 'Metro Man' for setting up the Delhi Metro, responded to questions on 'love jihad' and vegetarianism
Sreedharan said, “….Love Jihad, yes, I see what is happened in Kerala. How Hindus are being tricked in a marriage and how they suffer... not only Hindus, Muslim, the Christian girls are being tricked in a marriage. Now that sort of a thing I certainly will oppose.”
“Love jihad” is a term used by right-wing groups to describe relationships between Hindu women and Muslim men, claiming that it is a part of a larger conspiracy where Muslim men lure girls from other communities and trick them into marriage and conversion.
On the question of beef eating in Kerala and the BJP’s stance on cows, he said, “Personally, I am a very very strict vegetarian. I don’t even eat eggs so, certainly I don’t like anybody eating meat. That is certain."
Sreedharan had on Thursday announced that he will join the BJP ahead of Assembly polls in Kerala.
"I will be joining BJP. Other political parties in Kerala are just working in the interest of their respective parties and failed to do any good to Kerala," he had said.
The 88-year-old technocrat, who is from Kerala, said that he wants to do things for the benefit of the state and those can be done by entering politics. He said his main aim is to help the BJP come to power in Kerala where the assembly polls are due in April-May this year, adding that he will be open to chief ministership.
"My main idea is to bring BJP to power in Kerala. If BJP comes to power in Kerala, there will be three to four major areas we want to focus. One is infrastructure development in a big way and another is to bring industry to the state," he said.
