Former Union Defence Minister and seasoned Congressman AK Antony declared today that his son, Anil K. Antony, who is running as a BJP candidate for Kerala’s Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat, shouldn’t be elected.
After a protracted period of silence, AK Antony declared that his son “should lose, and his rival, the Congress candidate in the south Kerala constituency, Anto Antony, should win with an absolute majority”.

The 83-year-old former chief minister of Kerala said that he has set aside his health concerns in order to speak with the media because he believes that in this election, he must express his position in order to “protect the idea of India and its constitution.” “This is a fight to survive or perish,” declared AK Antony, the Defense Minister of India with the longest tenure.

He said that even if he did not go to Pathanamthitta to campaign for the Congress party, Anto Antony would win with an absolute majority, citing health concerns as his excuse for not leaving Thiruvananthapuram.

“Politics and family are two different things to me. I have held this position ever since my time at KSU, so it’s not new,” Mr. Antony stated. The Kerala branch of the Congress has a student organization called the Kerala Students Union (KSU).

Anil Antony responded sharply to his father’s comments, claiming that the Congress has out-of-date leaders and that he only feels sympathy for his father—a former defence minister—for supporting Anto Antony, a sitting member of Congress and MP who recently sparked controversy with remarks he made regarding the Pulwama terror attack.

Anil added in a statement to reporters that he will triumph in Pathanamthitta.

The Congress has been on the defensive since Anil and late Congress stalwart K Karunakaran’s daughter, Padmaja Venugopal, defected to the BJP in Kerala. AK Antony’s stance is a major boost to the party.