BBC Documentary on PM Modi: AK Antony's son quits Congress, Tharoor draws flak for remarks

Chennai: Senior Congress leader and former Defence Minister AK Antony's son Anil K Antony on Wednesday quit the Congress party hours after he denounced the BBC over its documentary examining the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots. 

Anil quit as convenor of the digital media cell of the Congress unit in Kerala and as the national coordinator of the All India Congress Committee's (AICC) social media and digital communications cell. 

The announcement came on Wednesday morning after social media outrage against him for his veiled support to Modi when the opposition was taking on the PM and the ruling BJP for banning the documentary  ‘India: The Modi Question.' 

On Tuesday, while students at some prominent colleges in his home state Kerala were watching the documentary in defiance of the government ban, Anil took to Twitter to spell out that despite his "large differences" with BJP, he felt that those in India "placing views of" BBC, "a state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices against India would set a "dangerous precedence" and "will undermine the country's sovereignty."

The Tweet triggered a backlash apparently even from his own party in Kerala. Finally, the son of a leader who had a flair for quitting chose to announce his decision to exit from the Congress.

Well before the uproar against Anil could subside, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor drew the ire of Twitterati as he questioned the timing of the documentary which, he said, comes 21 years after the Gujarat riots.

"This (Gujarat riots) happened 21 years ago and it is a matter the Supreme Court has ruled on. The tragedy is something that all Indians, including Muslims, feel we now should put behind us," he reportedly said. His statement should have warmed the cockles of BJP supporters' hearts.

Tharoor, however, questioned the BJP government's decision to block the screening of the documentary. "Why would you give the British the power to disturb you?" he reacted.

Tharoor also dismissed Anil Antony's view that the documentary would harm India's sovereignty. He said that the argument that the BBC documentary would harm India's sovereignty is unconvincing.

Chennai: Senior Congress leader and former Defence Minister AK Antony's son Anil K Antony on Wednesday quit the Congress party hours after he denounced the BBC over its documentary examining the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots.  Anil quit as convenor of the digital media cell of the Congress unit in Kerala and as the national coordinator of the All India Congress Committee's (AICC) social media and digital communications cell.  The announcement came on Wednesday morning after social media outrage against him for his veiled support to Modi when the opposition was taking on the PM and the ruling BJP for banning the documentary  ‘India: The Modi Question.'  On Tuesday, while students at some prominent colleges in his home state Kerala were watching the documentary in defiance of the government ban, Anil took to Twitter to spell out that despite his "large differences" with BJP, he felt that those in India "placing views of" BBC, "a state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices against India would set a "dangerous precedence" and "will undermine the country's sovereignty." The Tweet triggered a backlash apparently even from his own party in Kerala. Finally, the son of a leader who had a flair for quitting chose to announce his decision to exit from the Congress. Well before the uproar against Anil could subside, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor drew the ire of Twitterati as he questioned the timing of the documentary which, he said, comes 21 years after the Gujarat riots. "This (Gujarat riots) happened 21 years ago and it is a matter the Supreme Court has ruled on. The tragedy is something that all Indians, including Muslims, feel we now should put behind us," he reportedly said. His statement should have warmed the cockles of BJP supporters' hearts. Tharoor, however, questioned the BJP government's decision to block the screening of the documentary. "Why would you give the British the power to disturb you?" he reacted. Tharoor also dismissed Anil Antony's view that the documentary would harm India's sovereignty. He said that the argument that the BBC documentary would harm India's sovereignty is unconvincing.