NEW DELHI:
Anil K Antony, the son of veteran
Congress leader A K Antony, joined the
BJP on Thursday after slamming the Congress leadership for working for a “single family” instead of working for the country.
“Many Congress leaders believe that their duty is to work for a particular family but I believe that my duty is to work for the people.
PM Narendra Modi has a clear vision to make India a developed country in the next 25 years,” Antony said after joining the BJP in the presence of Union ministers
Piyush Goyal, V Muraleedharan and Kerala BJP chief K Surendran.
Anil had had quit Congress after criticising the party's stand opposing the ban imposed by the BJP government on the BBC documentary on the Gujarat riots.
Despite the disengagement, his crossing over to the rival camp is going to rankle Congress in view of the stature his father enjoys in the party. Apart from being a veteran who once served as one of the youngest chief ministers way back in the 1970s when age was synonymous with competence, Antony remained a ubiquitous feature of Congress's leadership mechanism. He also served in the cabinets of P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. More importantly, he was seen as the custodian of the Gandhi family’s interests, with the leadership often seen as leveraging his seniority and image for probity as the teflon.
The veteran Congressman, who has lately not been active, expressed disappointment over his son's move and expressed his unconditional loyalty to the “Nehru family”.
‘Wrong decision’: AK Antony on his son Anil Antony joining BJP
“I am deeply pained by Anil’s decision to join the BJP. It was a wrong decision,” Antony told reporters in Kerala.
“The cornerstone of the country is secularism and pluralism. BJP is trying to debilitate this. BJP is trying to destabilise the communal harmony in the country. Till my last breath, I will be a vociferous critic of BJP and its policies. My allegiance, respect and love will always remain with the Nehru family,” Antony said.
Trying hard to hide his tears, Antony said he would remain a Congressman till his last breath.
Earlier, when asked if he had consulted his father before joining BJP, Anil said, “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. ”