Former Union Minister AK Antony's son Anil Antony joins BJP after quitting Congress

Former Union Minister AK Antony's son, Anil Antony, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Thursday in the presence of Union ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan. Anil had left the Congress in January this year after he criticised a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had said that he was quitting Congress over "intolerant calls to retract a tweet". Anil Antony, who headed Congress' IT wing in Kerala, had tweeted that he resigned from his roles in Congress due to "intolerant calls to retract a tweet, by those fighting for free speech." The controversy erupted after Antony termed the BBC documentary on Modi a "dangerous precedent."

In his resignation letter, Anil Antony mentioned that he had his unique strength that could have enabled him to contribute effectively to the party in various ways. However, he said that he had been made well aware that the party leaders are only keen to work with sycophants and chamchas. He further added that he would prefer to continue with his other professional endeavours without being fed with negativity and involved in destructive narratives that are against the core interests of India.

Anil Antony had earlier run the Congress's social media cell in Kerala before he left the party following the row over the BBC documentary. The documentary took a visceral look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged role in the Gujarat riots. Antony had slammed the BBC documentary, calling out its "anti-India prejudices". He had opposed the documentary and said that placing the views of the British broadcaster over Indian institutions would "undermine" the country's sovereignty.