'Respect for my father AK Antony will remain the same': Anil Antony after joining BJP

Former Defence Minister AK Antony's son Anil joined the Bharatiye Janata Party on Thursday after quitting the Congress, where his father her served in the All India Congress Committee since 1984.

And now his son Anil has gone ahead and joined Congress' biggest rival and the ruling BJP.

But Anil says that it won't be an issue in his household and won't create a rift with his father, who is India's longest serving Defence Minister (2008-2014).

"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," Antony said when asked whether he had consulted his father before joining the BJP.

Who is Anil Antony?

Antony, who headed the Digital Media cell of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, slammed the Congress leadership for working for a "single family" instead of working for the country.

He had quit the Congress after criticising the party's stand on the controversial documentary film of the BBC on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Welcoming Antony in the BJP, veteran leader Piyush Goyal described him as a "very grounded political worker", who was convinced that the BJP cares for the country and shared the prime minister's vision of sustainable growth.