Thrissur (Kerala) | The Congress here came down heavily on Anil K Antony for joining the BJP, accusing him of "betraying his father and veteran party leader A K Antony on "Maundy Thursday".
KPCC chief K Sudhakaran said Anil had not been given any party responsibilities and that his joining the BJP was not a matter of concern for the Congress.
"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," Sudhakaran told reporters here.
Reacting sharply, the KPCC chief said it was Anil's "present to his father" on Maundy Thursday.
According to the Bible, one of Christ's twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, made an agreement with the authorities to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver, on a Wednesday, which came to be known as Holy Wednesday. On the next day, which came to be known as Maundy Thursday, signifying the Last Supper of Christ, when Jesus joined his disciples after a prayer, Judas kissed him on the cheek to help authorities identify him. Following Judas's betrayal, they took Jesus away and later crucified him on a Friday, which came to be known as Good Friday among Christians.
Thiruvananthapuram | Veteran Congress leader A K Antony on Thursday said he was deeply pained by the decision of his son Anil to join the BJP.
The former Kerala Chief Minister declared his unconditional loyalty to the 'Nehru family' in the face of his son's decision to join the rival party.
Hours after Anil K Antony joined the BJP in the presence of Union ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan in New Delhi, an emotionally charged Antony termed as "wrong" Anil's decision to join the BJP, and said he would continue to be a Congressman till his last breath.
"I am deeply pained by Anil's decision to join the BJP. It was a wrong decision," Antony told reporters at the KPCC headquarters here.
The former Defence Minister said he would continue to raise his voice against the BJP and the RSS.
Apparently responding to Anil's allegations against the 'Nehru-Gandhi family, Antony said his loyalty would always lie with the Nehru family, which is still at the forefront of the "fearless fight to safeguard the basic ideals of India".
Anil, who headed the Digital Media cell of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, quit the Congress two months ago, after criticising the party's stand on the controversial documentary film of the BBC on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and slammed the Congress leadership for working for a "single family" instead of for the country.