Kochi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen enjoying the "first ride" in Kochi Metro just before its official launch, waving his hands many times to the crowd gathered atop multi-storey buildings and even cracking a joke with fellow dignitaries. "He made it a point to acknowledge the crowd just before entering the station (Palarivattom) and also while travelling to Pathadipalam and back. During the short trip, I was able to brief him about the Water Metro and how important is it for Kochi. He was also keen on knowing the unique features of the Metro," Mr George, said.
However, when asked about the "joke" cracked by the PM that left everyone bursting into laughter during the ride, Mr George refused to divulge terming it as "sensitive". Mr Modi travelled with Governor P. Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan, CPM leader P. Rajeev, E. Sreedharan, Mr George and Chief Secretary Nalini Netto after arriving at Palarivattom from Navy airport at 11 am. Upon reaching Pathadipalam, Mr Modi suddenly got up and sat at the other end as the train started its return journey.
"He said he wanted to again wave hands at the people who had scaled tall buildings to greet him. He was taken aback by the lovely view and impressed with staff of the Lulu Mall who donned same colour shirts, lined up in queue and saluted the PM as the Metro went past the mall," Mr George said. Earlier, the prime minister took special care asking E. Sreedharan to come to the front while cutting the ribbon as part of inaugurating the Palarivattom station.
