Wrong decision, pained by Anil joining BJP, says A K Antony

Former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader A K Antony on Thursday said he was pained by his son Anil joining the BJP. Anil Antony joined the saffron party in presence of Union ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan, weeks after he quit the Congress.

"It was a wrong decision. I am pained by Anil's decision to join the BJP," PTI quoted A K Antony as saying.

Congress said Anil betrayed his father on Maundy Thursday. "Today is the day of betrayal. Anil Antony betrays his father on Maundy Thursday," Congress said.

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. The day is observed to commemorate Jesus Christ's Last Supper with his disciples.

''Anil's decision to join BJP has hurt me. It is a very wrong decision. India's base is unity and religious harmony. After 2014, Modi govt came to power, they're systematically diluting diversity and secularism. BJP believes only in uniformity, they're destroying the constitutional values of the country,'' he said.

A K Antony also clarified that his loyalty will remain with the "Nehru family". "My loyalty will always be with 'Nehru family'. I will be a Congress worker till I breathe my last," he said while speaking to the reporters.

Anil had quit the Congress in January this year after criticising the party's stand on the controversial documentary film of the BBC on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Welcoming Antony in the BJP, Goyal described him as a "very grounded political worker", who was convinced that the BJP cares for the country and shared the prime minister's vision of sustainable growth.

"This is not about personalities, this is about difference of opinion and ideas. I strongly believe that I have taken the right step. My respect for my father will remain the same," Antony said when asked whether he had consulted his father before joining the BJP.