Congress on Thursday slammed Anil K Antony - the son of veteran Congress leader AK Antony, for joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing him of "betraying his father on “Maundy Thursday”, a day before Easter, observed to commemorate Jesus Christ's last supper with his disciples.
"Today (Maundy Thursday) is the day of Judas (Iscariot) who betrayed Jesus Christ for a payment of 30 silver coins. Many such things will happen on that day. This (Anil joining BJP) should also be seen as such an incident," Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief, K Sudhakaran, was quoted by PTI.
He further said Anil had not been given any party responsibilities and that his joining the BJP was not a matter of concern for the Congress.
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Anil Antony, who recently quit the Congress party after criticising its stand on the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, joined the BJP on Thursday in New Delhi in presence of Union ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan.
When asked whether he had consulted his father before joining the BJP, he 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.”
{{/usCountry}}When asked whether he had consulted his father before joining the BJP, he 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.”
{{/usCountry}}Former defence minister AK Antony expressed his disappointment and said he was hurt by his son's “very wrong decision” to join the saffron party. "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," ANI quoted Antony as saying.
(With inputs from agency)