Taking a sharp dig at Congress after its veteran leader AK Antony’s son, Anil Antony, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday said “notary agents of secularism will distribute certificates of who is secular.”
Anil K Antony joined the BJP in the presence of Union ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan in New Delhi. He slammed the Congress leadership for working for a “single family” instead of working for the country. Antony, who headed the Digital Media cell of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, had quit the grand old party after criticising its stand on the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When asked whether he had consulted his father before joining the BJP, he said: “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.”
Owaisi, who is often denounced by opposition parties, including Congress, as BJP’s B-team, said AK Antony is in the ‘A’ team while his son Anil Antony is now in the ‘B’ team.
“Father Antony “A” Team, Son Antony “B”Team mein,” Owaisi said in a tweet. “But Notary Agents of Secularism will distribute certificates of who is secular Bahoot khoob.”
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday called Owaisi an “agent” of the BJP after the latter blamed the Mahagathbandhan government for the communal disturbances in the state during Ram Navami festivities.
The JD(U) supremo bristled when his attention was drawn to remarks of Owaisi, and said, “Who is he? Which place does he belong to? What stakes does he have in Bihar?” alleging that the Hyderabad MP was “an agent of those in power at Delhi”.
“He (Owaisi) had expressed the desire to meet me when I separated (from the BJP). I refused,” revealed Kumar.
