Thiruvananthapuram: KPCC digital media cell convener Anil Antony, the son of former defence minister, senior Congress leader AK Antony, resigned from his posts in Congress, a day after he condemned BBC’s controversial documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The decision comes after the severe flak he faced for his recent tweet against the public screening of the BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’. The two-part documentary claims it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was the chief minister of the state.
On Tuesday, Anil tweeted: ‘Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in India placing views of BBC, a (UK) 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’.
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
Anil had been the national coordinator of the AICC social media and digital communication cell and the digital media convenor of KPCC. However, his remark was against Congress’s stand on the matter. Congress called Union Government’s action ‘imposing censorship’ for blocking the documentary on social media. Even Rahul Gandhi during his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Jammu questioned the Centre’s move. Congress leader V T Balram welcomed Anil’s decision to step down. Youth Congress President Shafi Parambil on Monday come out against Anil’s statement. Rigil Makutty had also demanded action against Anil Antony. KPCC president K Sudhakaran said Anil Antony is not part of the KPCC digital cell anymore. The reorganisation of the digital cell is on.
The BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujrat riots was criticised by the Ministry of External Affairs. It termed the documentary as a propaganda piece lacking objectivity and a reflection of the colonial mindset. Last week, the Centre directed the blocking of multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary. In Kerala, KPCC announced the screening of the BBC documentary on the occasion of Republic Day. Further, their students’ wing, Youth Congress, also announced screening in educational institutions across the state.
The documentary was screened at Poojappura junction under the leadership of DYFI. As the BJP workers tried to get past the barricades, the police blocked them, leading to a scuffle between the policemen and the BJP workers. Later, the cops used water cannons to bring the situation under control. Permission was denied for screening the documentary at Kannur University and Kozhikode Central University. The DYFI had announced that it would screen the BBC documentary against Modi across the State. The Police have charged a case against the BJP leaders who led a march to the Kozhikode Commissioner’s office alleging that the Police did not stop the screening of the BBC documentary.
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