By India Blooms News Service Jan 25, 2023
New Delhi/IBNS: Former Defence Minister AK Antonys son Anil Antony on Wednesday quit the Congress a day after criticising BBCs controversial documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, media reports said.
Taking to Twitter, Anil said he quit as he wont give in to his partys calls to retract a tweet where he had slammed the documentary.
Narrating his differences with the party, Anil said, I have resigned from my roles in @incindia @INCKerala. Intolerant calls to retract a tweet,by those fighting for free speech.I refused. @facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting a trek to promote love! Hypocrisy thy name is! Life goes on. Redacted resignation letter below.
I have resigned from my roles in @incindia @INCKerala.Intolerant calls to retract a tweet,by those fighting for free speech.I refused. @facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting a trek to promote love! Hypocrisy thy name is! Life goes on. Redacted resignation letter below. pic.twitter.com/0i8QpNIoXW
Anil K Antony (@anilkantony) January 25, 2023
Reacting to the documentary, Anil on Tuesday tweeted, 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.
A word of caution from congress own - on BBC @anilkantony says - why let a country which colonised us more than 200 years back use our differences and divide us ? This concerns me . Am sure many seniors in the party who have been in government will agree with me
pallavi ghosh (@_pallavighosh) January 24, 2023
Anil has thanked the Kerala Congress leadership including Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor for supporting and guiding him at various times.
The Centre has blocked access to the two-part BBC documentary which claims to have investigated certain aspects of the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was the states Chief Minister.
The government on Friday directed social media platforms Twitter and YouTube to block links to the series.
Earlier, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the two-part docu-series was a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative.