Congress veteran AK Antony’s son Anil Antony joins BJP

Former Defence Minister AK Antony’s son Anil Antony joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Thursday, dealing another blow to the Congress. In the presence of Government Ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan, Anil Antony joined the BJP. Kerala BJP chief K Surendran, as well as senior party leaders Tarun Chugh and Anil Baluni, were in attendance. Anil Antony expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for including him in the BJP.

The development comes months after Anil Antony, a Kerala Congress Social Media Team Coordinator, resigned from all positions on the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee in January following a disagreement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a BBC program about the 2002 Gujarat riots.
He slammed a BBC programme about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Anthony had hit out at the BBC terming it “a state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices” against India.

“Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in India placing views of BBC, a UK state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over Indian institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, will undermine our sovereignty,” Anthony tweeted.
He then alleged that he had received threatening calls and hate messages “through the night”.

While posting about his resignation on Twitter, Antony mocked the Congress party by saying that he received intolerant calls to retract a tweet by those “fighting for free speech”.

“I have resigned from my roles in @incindia, @INCKerala. Intolerant calls to retract a tweet, by those fighting for free speech. I refused. @facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting a  trek to promote love! Hypocrisy thy name is! Life goes on,” Anil K Antony said in a tweet.

The development comes a year before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.