Anil Antony not ready to join BJP, says former KPCC chief Muraleedharan

Former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K Muraleedharan on Friday asked Congress leader AK Antony's son Anil Antony to return to the Congress party.

Anil Antony quit all party posts after "threats" over his posts regarding a BBC documentary.

Muraleedharan said that Antony is not ready to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and urged him to return to the party and obey party rules.

"Anil Antony is not ready to go to BJP. I spoke to him many times. I'm asking him to change his mind & go back to Cong & obey party rules. Congress never forgets the burning of Gujarat MP Ehsan Jafri," Muraleedharan told the mediapersons.

 

Earlier, Anil Antony had alleged that he has received "abuses" and threats" over his tweet regarding the controversial BBC documentary -- "India: The Modi Question".

Announcing his resignation from the party posts, Anil said he has not given up the party's primary membership as he would like to remain a Congress leader for now.

On Tuesday, Antony had tweeted that despite large differences with the BJP, those who support and place the views of the BBC and of former UK foreign secretary Jack Straw, the "brain behind the Iraq war" (involving the US-led coalition in 2003), over Indian institutions are setting a dangerous precedent.

Earlier, this month, the government denounced the BBC series, calling it a "propaganda piece designed to push a discredited narrative".

The government also pulled down the series from various social media platforms, including Twitter and Youtube.

Chaos erupted on JNU campus after JNUSU members alleged a 'deliberate' power outage during a screening of the BBC show.

On Wednesday, 13 students were detained for creating a ruckus outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University over the screening of the BBC series.

The Delhi Police issued a statement on the incident, saying that the university administration did not allow the screening of the documentary on campus.