More Congress Leaders Will Join BJP, Says K Surendran After Anil Antony's Exit

Congress veteran AK Antony`s son Anil is facing severe criticism from his father's party for joining BJP and praising PM Narendra Modi.

New Delhi: BJP Kerala chief K Surendran has said that more leaders will follow former Union Minister and Congress leader AK Antony`s son, Anil Antony, to the saffron camp. Anil Anthony, who left the Congress earlier, formally joined the BJP on Thursday, in the presence of Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan. Surendran and senior party leaders Tarun Chugh and Anil Baluni were also present at his joining. Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Surendran, to a question on whether Anil Anthony`s joining would boost the BJP`s prospects in the southern state and boost its acceptability among Christian voters, said, "AK Antony is senior Congress leader, who held key positions in the party. Today, his son Anil Antony took membership in the BJP. More Congress leaders will be joining BJP soon."

The Kerala BJP chief said that Anil Antony is one of many Opposition leaders to have joined the BJP. Even the erudite and highly educated leaders in the Opposition camp are now joining the BJP, he said adding that his party is approaching several other leaders in the Congress and the Left to join the saffron camp.

Surendran also expressed confidence that the BJP’s vote share in Kerala will improve in the next assembly elections. “We hope to bag a bigger share of Christian votes as the Christian community has demonstrated that it has full faith in Modi-ji`s work,” Surendran said. On the Congress stalwart`s statement that he was pained at his son joining the BJP, Surendran added, "AK Antony has been with the Congress for six decades and it is only natural for him to feel bad if his son joins the BJP. 

Deeply Pained BY Anil’s Decision: AK Antony

Earlier in the day, AK Antony said that Anil has taken a wrong move by joining the BJP adding that the decision has pained him. "I am pained by my son Anil`s decision to join the BJP. I strongly feel it is a very wrong decision. India`s base is unity and religious harmony. After 2014, the Modi government came to power, they are systematically diluting diversity and secularism," AK Antony, who is considered a close aide of the Gandhi family, told reporters.

‘RSS, BJP Destroying India’

The former union minister alleged that BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are destroying India`s constitutional ethos. He said he will be a Congress worker till his last breath. "BJP believes only in uniformity. Till my last breath, I will oppose all the wrong policies of RSS and BJP. They are destroying the country`s constitutional values. I will die as a Congress worker. I am 82. I do not know how long I will live, " added the Congress veteran.

Anil Antony Joins BJP, Hails PM Modi’s Leadership

Anil Antony joined the BJP in the presence of Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan. Kerala BJP chief K Surendran and senior party leaders Tarun Chugh and Anil Baluni were also present at the occasion. Anil Antony thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his induction into BJP. Soon after joining the BJP, Anil Antony began his address with a verse 'Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah' from epic Mahabharat. The verse loosely translates into “Dharma (religion) or state of law protects those who protect it.’’ "I believe in Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah. Nowadays, some Congress leaders believe that it is their dharma (duty) to serve the interests of a family. But, I believe that it is my duty to serve the nation," Anil Antony said.

Anil said the prime minister has a very clear vision to turn India into a developed nation in the next 25 years. "In times like these, the central government and the BJP organisation led by the Prime Minister, Amit Shah and J P Nadda are working tirelessly to take this vision to every nook and corner of the country," he said.

Asked whether he had consulted his father before joining the BJP, Anil Antony said he "strongly believed" that he had taken the right step. "In my house, there are four people. There is my father, my mother, my brother and me. All of us are very different people. He is my father, so we have a very good relationship. He is a person I love and respect the most in my life," he said.

"But this is not about personalities, this is about a difference of opinion and ideas. I strongly believe that I have taken the right step. But, my respect for my father will remain the same. There is no question of any politics in my family," Anil Antony said.

Anil Antony was also considered close to senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and had supported his candidature in the election to the post of Congress President. Anil Antony graduated from the Government College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2007 and launched a start-up, Torque Technology Solutions. He later went to Stanford University in the US to pursue his Masters in Science (MSc).