Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 6: Calling it a “very painful moment” for him, the Congress veteran and former defence minister AK Antony regretted his son Anil Antony joining the BJP on Thursday and said he would continue to serve the Congress till his last breath.
The 82-year old veteran called his son’s joining the BJP a “wrong decision” and said he would never support the ideology of BJP and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which he accused of making attempts to divide the country and weaken the foundations of democracy.
Anil Antony, who had been associated with various social initiatives and digital campaigns of the Congress, had announced his decision to join the BJP earlier in the day, saying that he was impressed by the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Anil had quit the Congress in January following the row over BBC’s documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BJP leaders Piyush Goyal and V Murlidharan and the party’s Kerala unit chief K Surendran welcomed the former Congress leader to their party at a formal event on Thursday. “Every Congress worker believes they are working for a family. But I believe I am working for the country,” Anil Antony told reporters. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a very clear vision of putting India in a leading place in a multi-polar world,” he said.
“Anil Antony is a multi-faceted personality. I was very impressed when I saw the credentials of Anil Antony ji,” Goyal said. “His views reflect similar with those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on sustainable development,” Goyal added. “We have confidence he will continue to play a very active role and help grow the BJP’s footprint in southern India,” he said
Anil Antony joining the BJP comes as a setback for the Congress which said he had betrayed his father, calling it a “day of betrayal.” Reacting sharply, the Kerala Pradesh Congress chief K. Sudhakaran said it was Anil’s “present to his father” on Maundy Thursday. “Today (Maundy Thursday) is the day of Judas (Iscariot) who betrayed Jesus Christ for a payment of 30 silver coins. Many such things will happen on that day. This (Anil joining BJP) should also be seen as such an incident,” Sudhakaran said. He also said since Anil had not been given any party responsibility, his joining the BJP was not a matter of concern for the Congress.
Later speaking to reporters, his father said he had always opposed the BJP and RSS for their “communal and divisive agenda”, and that he would continue to do so “till his last breath.” He said he was loyal to the Congress party and the Nehru-Gandhi family, which he credited for keeping India united and respecting its diversity. He said that he had been inspired by Indira Gandhi, who had encouraged him to join politics, and that he had differed with her only once on a policy issue, but later returned to the party and respected her even more.
“I am at the last phase of my political career and do not know how long I will live. But as long as I do, I will live for the Congress,” Antony said, adding that he would not be available for any further comment on his son’s move, and requested the media to respect his privacy.
But his son held an entirely different view on the Gandhi family. “This is not about personalities, this is about difference of opinion and ideas. I strongly believe that I have taken the right step. My respect for my father will remain the same,” Anil Antony said when asked whether he had consulted his father before joining the BJP.
Anil Antony, who was a Congress leader from Kerala, quit the party in January following the row over BBC’s documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Anil Antony ran the Congress’s social media cell in Kerala before he left the party. He called the BBC documentary “prejudiced against India” before leaving the party. The Congress had cited the documentary to attack Modi accusing him of orchestrating moves to shrink the opposition’s space in Indian politics.
The BJP expects Anil Antony would be able to expand its presence in Kerala and gather support from a larger voter base, especially Christians. The BJP has not been able to breach the Left citadel in Kerala effectively yet to threaten them significantly.
