‘Congress, BJP same’: Why Kerala’s Left is hopeful after Anil Antony’s switch

With the Church, too, seen to be reciprocating, Kerala’s Muslim community is keeping a close watch. Both the minority communities have traditionally sided with the Congress-led UDF. It is in this context that Anil’s move is significant.

The junior Antony’s entry into the BJP will give ammunition to the Left’s campaign, particularly with the state’s Muslims in mind, that the Congress is unable to take on the Sangh Parivar.

In the past, whenever Congress leaders, in Kerala or elsewhere, have jumped ship to the BJP, the CPI(M) seized the opportunity to refer to the grand old party as the “recruitment ground of BJP”, with the refrain that a vote for the Congress is a “vote wasted” as “today’s Congress is tomorrow’s BJP”.

Perhaps why, soon after Anil joined the BJP on Thursday, CPI(M) Kerala secretary and Politburo member M V Govindan was quick to attack — both the saffron party and the Congress.

“This change of party (for Anil) was possible because the political approaches of both the Congress and the BJP are one and the same,” Govindan said, adding Anil’s entry into BJP was “an insult to Indian democracy”.

“It was A K Antony who had stated that Congress does not require workers who have dual allegiance… in Congress as well as in BJP. A K Antony wanted the party not to have those who are with Congress during day and with BJP at night. Now his son Anil has eliminated that boundary…to enable the Congress workers to move to BJP,’’ Govindan added.

V K Sanoj, the Kerala secretary CPI(M)’s youth wing, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), said Anil’s decision showed the Congress had become weak “organisationally and ideologically”.

“Even the wards of the Congress’s national leaders cannot practise anti-BJP politics,” he said, adding the BJP has given Anil “the agenda to help the party expand its influence in Kerala ahead of the Lok Sabha elections”.

For its part, the Congress has sought to downplay Anil’s entry into the BJP.

Senior Congress legislator and Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said Anil’s move will not impact the Congress at all. “He did not do any service to Congress or other feeder outfits, directly or indirectly. He did not even discharge the tasks assigned to him,’’ he said. Before quitting the Congress, Anil was the social media in-charge of its Kerala unit.

To minimize the damage, however, Congress leaders, cutting across intra-party affiliations, have rallied behind the senior Antony.

This is not a blot on (A K) Antony’s image,” said senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala. “A K Antony has stood for supreme political principles. Anil’s decision as a person would never impact Antony.”