Former Kerala CM, ex-Defense Minister of India, and senior Congress leader AK Antony's son Anil Antony is in the election fray on a BJP ticket. BJP has fielded Anil for the South Kerala Lok Sabha seat, where he is contesting against Congress candidate Anto Antony. AK Antony, while cursing his son with defeat, stated that Anto Antony should win this seat.
AK Antony also added that for him, Congress is akin to his faith. Politics and family have always been separate entities for him. As AK Antony curses his son with defeat and declares Congress his dharma, discussions have revived about that phase of his political journey when he went against his 'dharma' and founded his own party. What's the story behind those times?
Formed His Own Party Against Indira Gandhi
Starting from student politics and climbing the ladder of success swiftly, AK Antony was making his mark in national politics during the 1970s and 1980s. He served as the General Secretary of Congress and was part of the National Executive during the tenure of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. During the Emergency, a Congress session in Guwahati in 1976 saw Antony demanding the removal of the Emergency, which brought him into the limelight.
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AK Antony became the CM of Kerala for the first time at age 37 in 1977. The end of the Emergency in 1977 was followed by a crushing defeat for Congress in the general elections, leading to the first non-Congress government after independence. Deepening rifts within Congress post the Janata Party government formation led Antony to resign as CM of Kerala. He then collaborated with leaders like Sharad Pawar, Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, and Sharatchandra Sinha, following Devraj Urs's leadership in Karnataka, and formed a separate party named Congress (Urs).
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Founded His Own Party in 1980, Merged It in 1982
In 1981, this party was renamed Congress (S). However, Antony later founded his own party, Congress (A), in 1980, separating from Congress (Urs). This party lasted only two years, and in 1982, AK Antony merged it back into Congress. He worked with leading Congress figures from Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi, Sitaram Kesri, and Sonia Gandhi over the years.
Antony's Take on His Son Joining BJP
AK Antony's son Anil left Congress to join BJP. Reacting to this, AK Antony condemned the trend of Congress leaders' offspring defecting to BJP, stating that politics is different from family, a principle he has adhered to since the beginning of his political career. This statement also aimed to quell the speculation about his family's tacit support for Anil's political choice.
