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HomePoliticsDisha Ravi-like digital activism is 'mischievous activism', spoils country's image: Sreedharan

Disha Ravi-like digital activism is ‘mischievous activism’, spoils country’s image: Sreedharan

BJP’s new face in Kerala E. Sreedharan hits out at CAA protests, says ‘love jihad’ and beef eating are issues that are against the sentiments of the majority of the people of his state.

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Bengaluru: E. Sreedharan, popularly known as India’s ‘metro man’, has said that as a nationalist, it is his duty to ensure good and clean governance, and any issue that affects the integrity and safety of the country, including digital activism, should be dealt with strictly.

Sreedharan, who joined the BJP last week ahead of assembly elections in his home state Kerala in April-May, said in an interview to ThePrint that digital activism is “mischievous activism”, referring to the arrest of 21-year-old Disha Ravi from Bengaluru in a ‘sedition’ case for sharing a ‘toolkit’ with global environmental activist Greta Thunberg.

“I would say it spoils the image of the country. It should be tackled immediately. I am not saying put them behind bars, but those who damage the reputation of the country (before) the rest of the world should be certainly pulled up,” Sreedharan said.

The 88-year-old engineer, credited with two of India’s toughest transportation/transit projects in Konkan Railway and the Delhi Metro, said even the CAA protests were unwarranted, and protesters were “elements creating trouble”.

“These are people who are unhappy with the Modi government. Anything that the Modi government does, there is opposition. Why should they create a problem, when they can join hands with the government and provide constructive criticism rather than destructive protests?” he asked.

On two issues that members of his party often bring up in other parts of the country — forced religious conversion for marriage, colloquially known as ‘love jihad’, and eating beef — Sreedharan said they were irrelevant issues distracting people from the real issues.

“Both ‘love jihad’ and beef eating are against the sentiments of the majority of the people of Kerala,” Sreedharan said. “These are topics where unnecessary issues are being raised. We should completely ignore such issues that are brought up to divide people.”


Also read: ‘If highlighting farmers protest is sedition, I’m better in jail’, Disha Ravi says in court


‘Calling BJP communal is like branding Christians communal’

Thirvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor of the Congress had said Sreedharan will make “minimal” impact on Kerala politics, but the new BJP member wants to ignore such comments and tackle his new assignment with the same precision and attitude as the Konkan Railway and the Delhi Metro.

Sreedharan said he had been a BJP sympathiser for several years now, and when the party approached him, he couldn’t say no. He added that branding the BJP a “communal” party is like “branding Christians as communal”, and that “it has no meaning.”

Kerala BJP chief K. Surendran has said Sreedharan will be projected as the party’s CM candidate, and the technocrat is not against the idea. But he has left it to the BJP high command to take a call on whether to project him for chief ministership, and which seat he’ll contest the polls from.

“I am going to campaign for a clean government, one that is committed to uplift the state from its problems, especially educated unemployment. The UDF and LDF have been pulling the state into bankruptcy and the debt burden on every Keralite today is around Rs 1.2 lakh. How can a state flourish if the debt burden is so high?” Sreedharan said.

He added that he’s confident that the BJP will win a considerable number of seats this time, as a “sense of fatigue has crept into the people of Kerala”.


Also read: 3 pillars of Modi’s success — infrastructure, welfare, ‘testosterone-driven nationalism’


(This report has been updated to reflect that Sreedharan was referring to “beef eating” and not “beef ban” in paragraphs six, seven and the strapline. The error is regretted.)

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30 COMMENTS

  1. Beef eating, love jihad, Muslims spreading Covid, now international conspiracies involving Sikh farmers. India isn’t a democracy but a Hindu fascist mob state where the craziest conspiracy from the paranoid and thinskinned Hindutva masses becomes justified law and everyone else is jihadi, urban Naxal, Khalistani, Anti-National etc.
    Time for another partition as Hindu India cannot protect the non-Hindus and the Hindu masses are enthralled with abusing everyone different!

    • If there is a partition then please this time let it be a complete one. All those abusing Hindus should be on one side and not stay back.

  2. To the author of the article: It would have been better if the headline did a better job of summarizing Mr. Sreedharan’s view as “Love jihad and beef eating were irrelevant issues distracting people from the real issues” (this is mentioned in the article) rather than what it currently does.

  3. Data: In democracies, governments usually engage in sincere consultations with stakeholders when it comes to resolving an issue. The farms bills were pushed through the legislature by the Modi government without taking on board the concerns of impacted farmers and other individuals. This brute force majoritarian democracy is what the fascists in New Delhi excel in. They have been shown the limits of that fascism by Sikhs.

    So rather than calling the farmers and environmentalists psychopaths, exhort your Gujarati masters to play by the rules of democracy. Not majoritarianism. Want to revive the Khalistan struggles again ?

  4. Now the liberal-secular cabal will target Mr. E Sreedharan and label him an “andh-bhakt”. Indulge in a slander campaign and tarnish his stellar reutation. He will no longer be welcome at premier educational institutions in the West as an honorary guest or invitee.

    • When an educated 88 year old man sets aside his education and dances to the tunes of uncouth, fascist North Indian politicians, well, he tarnishes his reputation by his own deeds. And when this 88 year old man spews such venom at a young, idealistic 21 year old girl, well, he does not deserve to be respected anymore.

      I will not respect Mr E.Sreedharan any longer. He is an uncouth man who despite his 88 years, does not understand that dissent is the essence of democracy. He has, like you Mr Bishakha Sinha, become an “and-bhakth”.

  5. Young people recruited to this ‘environmentalism’ are not psycopaths; they are simply too foolish and ill-educated to understand the issue of environment or complex political issues.

  6. Oddly, Mr Sreedharan had nothing bad to say about the various protest movements in the country whilst he was a technocrat. It is only when he joins the BJP that he has started showing this sudden interest in the image of India. And this 88 year old man uses his new found position of political power to attack a 21 year old girl who has been locked by his fascist, thuggish saffron friends. Even thugs like Ayothollah Adityanath and his ilk did not stoop so low.

    When educated men like Mr Sreedharan sell their souls to the saffron lynch mobs of India, the future of democracy in the country is bleak indeed.

    SHAME ON YOU Mr SREEDHARAN !!!

  7. The government of India spoiled it’s own image by arresting a young protester. Nothing this girl could do would spoil the country’s image more. Also the planting of false evidence in the protestors computers defames the image of India further!

    • Stephen Billings: An outstanding comment indeed !

      Planting evidence to bolster trumped up charges against innocent people is a well honed technique used by Indian Police and other Indian investigative authorities. Minorities, the poor and whoever the government dislikes often end up in that situation. And then the police torture these victims and force them to sign fabricated confessions that are later used in court. Sadly, that is how India has always been although the BJP has taken it up several notches.

      You are right when you say that India succeeded in tarnishing its image by arresting a 21 year old girl. It was a totally tactless self-goal. But try telling that to the many Modi worshippers who haunt these columns. Just as the Pakistani clergy manage to whip up the uncouth, unwashed masses of Pakistan and plant charges of blasphemy against innocent Christians or Hindus, India’s Hindutva establishment does the same against people who question Prophet Modi.

      Sadly, India under the BJP is following the template of Pakistan and transforming the country into a Hindu Pakistan.

  8. This guy is one of the most communal Guys I have seen recently in Kerala
    How crude and rogue

    I have reasons when I say this
    1. In his above statement, he is saying disha Ravi’s activism is a concern, but being aged like a barron tree, he didnt even recognize that he is slapping on the face of Mahatma Gandhiji who has been the model of Civil Disobedience Movemnet which got India Free
    2. This guy is saying that Christians are nkt communal, I would say Christians can be communal, Muslims can be communal, Hindus can be communal, but all of them are not communal is the truth. While he is targetting Muslims through that comment, he is a scum to the core
    3. He in his interview day before yesterday told thag he is a vegan and he doesn’t like non vegetarians. In Kerala 90-95% people are non vegetarians and we largely accept each other with openness by not judging people ehat they eat, in what they believe, what they wear or things like that. This guy want to instigate that divide on Eating habits just like it was brought to divide people in North India by BJP/RSS

    This guy is so punituve and pungent to the core and never a moment to be cherished because of his extreme racist, divisive, abusive thoughts whicb he is trying to inject on kerala.

    We will give answer through ballot to the biggots like these

    • Well said Collab !

      Well just as we sent fast bowler and BJP man Sreesanth very fast back into the pavilion, we will do the same to this conservative, misogynistic old man. At the end of the day, this insensitive, uncouth 88 year old talks ill of a 21 year old girl merely because the girl had the guts to fight the fascsists. While Sreedharan, despite his education and age, sacrifices his principles and prefers to jump into bed with these semi-literate thugs whose saffron reign of terror he wishes to bring to Kerala.

      Sreedharan has tarnished his own image and like Sreesanth, he will get banned and binned by Keralites. Kerala is not UP or Bihar Sreedharan saare !

  9. It is such a breath of fresh air that we have somebody like Shri E Sreedharan who is speaking so clearly and cogently about the country, the government and the opposition. He has courageously called spade a spade. No government is perfect and all have their faults. But to oppose just for the sake of opposing is sheer madness. The Opposition Congress should look for appropriate shortcomings and policy errors based on clear evidence rather than empty words.

    It is a pity that we do not have a recent history of responsible opposition. This has unfortunate consequences and politics in India has become worryingly confrontational, emotional and vitriolic. I only hope that at least someone in opposition or government will have the qualities of responsible and mature leadership that the future generations can emulate so that we have a living, thriving, responsible and respectable democracy that is enduring and practised by all.

  10. “These are people who are unhappy with the Modi government. Anything that the Modi government does, there is opposition. Why should they create a problem, when they can join hands with the government and provide constructive criticism rather than destructive protests?” he asked.

    When was the last time the Modi government amended any of their names policies due to a protest? Do not preach that logical arguments should be made when they have been made for months and fail. FYI, “destructive protests” are common throughout USA, France, and Germany when their concerns are unheard. It is a key part of escalation and making your voice heard. Perhaps this man should reconsider his stubbornness instead of blaming everyone else for having an opinion.

    • An outstanding comment Mr Ravi Sankar !

      E. Sreedharan joins the ranks of the many useful idiots who park their education and outsource their thinking to the itchy-testicled shaka goers. These converts to fascism suddenly start to regurgitate the language of the BJP fascists and make a complete fool of themselves. Another such character from Kerala was former fast bowler Sreesanth who joined the BJP and promptly lost the elections.

      It is odd that Mr Sreedharan forgets that Keralites are not easily fooled by empty promises or enamoured by celebrity status when it comes to voting. And like Sreesanth, Sreedharan too will be sent to the pavilion !

  11. Proud of E Sreedharan, after fixing public transport he’s taken the mantle of fixing the country. If an 80 year old’s heart beats for our motherland, why can’t we younger people work for the betterment of the country instead of wasting time and energy on nonsensical activism. Unemployable much?`

  12. Interesting. Spoken like a true bureaucrat who doesn’t understand the freedoms the Constitution enshrines in democracies even if they are not liberal. So all the movements like Chipko movement, Narmada Bachao Andolan and even our freedom movement were acts of mischievous activisim.

  13. The observations made by most popular’Metro man’ E.Sreedharan is balanced and most relevant in India particularly in Kerala and Bengal having more or less similar bend of leftist mind set .
    Constructive Opposition is always good in parliamentary democracy but when some lobby conspire against a nation to harm the harmony and integration , it becomes serious offence .Thus the way certain section of opportunists ppl supported by equally rotten brand of unethical political outfits ,idiot biased intelectuals ,paid jouronos are deliberately pulling all their muscles and missing no opportunity to derail all the honest efforts of the Govt ,is not only reprehensible but also non condonable at the highest order.

    • Very well said Mr Ashok !

      When upstanoing technocrats like Mr E.Sreedharan join forces with fascist politicians, they demean themselves. Sadly, Mr Sreedharan seems not to grasp this. His reputation is sullied forever.

  14. What A Fall.
    Graceful technocrat (?) to a Disgraceful politician.
    in Democracy everyone is free to endorse anyone, but when reputed engineer hide is sinister plans for future, is quite a worrisome trend.
    But yes, BJP always blames for Congress for 70 years of wasteful ruling, the fact is while Congress was in power RSS people always used to say, Sarkar Congress ki bureaucracy Hamari…
    What more one can say more to this new (?) entry in politics…
    He finds to fault at all with Modi government and for all the wrong doing entirely blames opposition and activists…
    How come any sane person behave and react like this ?
    This also indicates, age bar is set for selected few, Shreedharan is exceptions , so will be Modi, who will rule even after he will corss 75 .
    In God’s own country, God save this Country.

    • When and who from RSS said sarkar congress ki bureaucracy hamari. Did they whisper in your ears? Did you read his statement about love jehad and beef ban which he called distractions
      And how did you predict modi would continue past 75 you seem to know modi personally

      • Lovely: You have no counter-arguments for Mr Shekhar Deshmukh ? Didn’t learn to argue and debate in your RSS shaka? Or was it the Bajrgang Dal shaka?

  15. This u turn didn’t happen in a single day though, it has been brewing a long way.

    Ok bois india is officially a superpowa 🙂

    thanks to rahul bhaiya and mudi chacha

  16. The laws are about providing choice of markets and bringing modern marketing to farmers. No compulsion are older markets remain and also government commitment to talk about and correct any shortcomings.

    Enter “environmentalist ” who are supporting farming techniques which deplete and pollute ground water, causing diseases and poisoning to people drinking and cooking using the same ground water polluted by excessive use of fertiliser required for intensive farming. Furthermore they burn stuble realising green house gases which are causing health issues to lakhs of new born and old aged PEOPLE.

    Now let’s see this “environmentalist” aren’t talking about any of the above aBUSE of environment or methods of changing the way to farm sustainably . THEY are mere criminal psychopaths rooting for violence.

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