Congress Leader AK Antony's Son Anil Quits Congress After Criticising BBC Documentary, Flags Hypocrisy, Sycophancy

A day after he criticised the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader AK Antony's son Anil Antony quit the party on Wednesday.

Criticising the BBC documentary, Anil on Tuesday tweeted that putting the BBC documentary above Indian institutions would set a dangerous precedent. 

Following the tweet, Anil said he received "intolerant calls" to delete it and received abusive and hate speech. After such a treatment, Anil said he has resigned from the Congress. He called flagged party's "hypocrisy".

Tweeting the redacted resignation letter, Anil said, "I have resigned from my roles in Congress and Kerala Congress. Intolerant calls to retract a tweet by those fighting for free speech. I refused. Facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting trek to promote love! Hyprocrisy is thy name! Life goes on. Redacted resignation letter below."

In the resignation letter shared on Twitter, Anil said he does not have common ground with the Congress leadership as it only wants sycophants around it. 

He wrote, "However, by now I have been made well aware that you, your colleagues, and the coterie around the leadership are only keen to work with a bunch of sycophants and chamchas, who would unquestionably be at your beck and call. This has become the lone criterion of merit. Sadly, we don't have much common ground."

Anil further wrote that he is fed up of the "negativity" in the Congress and indulgence in "destructive narratives". 

He wrote, "I would prefer to continue my other professional endeavours without being fed this negativity, and being involved in these destructive narratives, many against the core interests of India. These I strongly believe will end up in the dustbin of history with time."

Prior to his resignation, Anil was the Convenor of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Digital Media and was the National Co-ordinator of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Social Media and Digital Communications Cell.

On Tuesday, Anil had noted that the BBC is British state media and Jack Straw, the former British foreign minister quoted in the report, was also one of the brains behind the invasion of Iraq in 2003. 

He said, "Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in India placing views of BBC, a British state sponsored channel with a long history of India prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over Indian institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, will undermine our sovereignty."

The BBC has made a two-part documentary titled India: The Modi Question on the 2002 Gujarat Riots. It's critical of Hindutva groups and Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time of the riots. Among other things, the documentary cites a previously unpublished UK government report that said Modi was "directly responsible" for the "climate of impunity" that enabled the Gujarat Riots.

The Modi government has dubbed the BBC documentary as "propaganda piece" and has banned it in India. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Modi and other Modi supporters are also lashing out at BBC and UK over the documentary. 

Though the BBC documentary and the Opposition blame Modi for 2002 Gujarat Riots, the Supreme Court has given him a clean chit.