Who is Anil Antony and why did he join BJP 'despite large differences'

Interestingly, Anil had prefaced his comments on the BBC documentary on Gujarat riots and PM Narendra Modi by saying that “despite his large differences with the BJP” he believed that the documentary could undermine India’s sovereignty.

Hyderabad: Anil Antony, the son of Congress veteran AK Antony joined the BJP on Thursday. The move came months after he had resigned from the Congress in January citing “intolerant calls to retract a tweet by those fighting for free speech”.

Interestingly, before his resignation, 38-year-old Anil had prefaced his comments on the BBC documentary on Gujarat riots and PM Narendra Modi by saying that “despite his large differences with the BJP” he believed that the documentary could undermine India’s sovereignty.

Anil had said that placing the views of the British broadcaster over Indian institutions would “undermine” the country’s sovereignty. He took to Twitter and wrote, "Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in placing views of BBC, a state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, will undermine our sovereignty."

• Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in 🇮🇳 placing views of BBC, a 🇬🇧 state sponsored channel with a long history of 🇮🇳 prejudices,and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over 🇮🇳 institutions is setting a dangerous precedence,will undermine our sovereignty.

  — Anil K Antony (@anilkantony) January 24, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in 🇮🇳 placing views of BBC, a 🇬🇧 state sponsored channel with a long history of 🇮🇳 prejudices,and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over 🇮🇳 institutions is setting a dangerous precedence,will undermine our sovereignty.

  — Anil K Antony (@anilkantony) January 24, 2023

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  Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in 🇮🇳 placing views of BBC, a 🇬🇧 state sponsored channel with a long history of 🇮🇳 prejudices,and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over 🇮🇳 institutions is setting a dangerous precedence,will undermine our sovereignty.

  — Anil K Antony (@anilkantony) January 24, 2023

However, those "differences" with the BJP are all gone now as Anil was welcomed with open arms in the party by senior BJP leaders in the national capital on Thursday.

Anil's career and role in Congress

Anil Antony had a prominent role in the Congress's social media and digital communications department as a national coordinator. However, despite his position, he struggled to make much progress in the party. He was believed to have close ties with Congress MP Sashi Tharoor, with whom he shared a working relationship.

Anil received a B.Tech in Industrial Engineering from the College of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram, and a Master's degree in science from Stanford University in the United States. He became involved in the Congress party in 2017, ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat.

In 2019, on the eve of the general elections, he was appointed as the digital media coordinator for the Congress in Kerala. He was brought to Kerala by Mullappally Ramachandran, the state party president at the time, and Tharoor. This decision raised eyebrows within the party, as some saw it as a ploy by senior leader Antony to promote his eldest son.

During the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections, Anil was responsible for managing the social media wing of the Congress's campaign. However, he failed to establish a separate identity for himself within the party, and after the elections, he withdrew from active politics. In 2020, Anil was selected to participate in the European Union Visitors Program (EUVP), a young leaders' program. He also joined the advisory council of the Ernest and Julio Gallo School of Management in the United States in November of the same year.