Congress veteran AK Antony's son Anil Antony joins BJP

NEW DELHI: In another setback to Congress, former Defence minister AK Antony's son Anil Antony joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Thursday. 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.

The development comes months after Anil Antony, who was a Kerala Congress Social Media Team Coordinator and resigned from all posts of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee in January following the row over BBC's documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He criticised the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Anthony had hit out at the BBC terming it as "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 threat 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.