A.K. Antony was highly emotional after you joined the BJP and curtly said that your decision is wrong. Your comments?

My father, as I said earlier, has been with the Congress for the past 65 years. He is one of the senior most leaders of the Congress and his perception and mine are different as far as politics is concerned. I love and have huge respect for my father, but the Congress of the present is a party that does not stand for what it was a few years ago. I have my own vision of politics and for national reconstruction and I have to work according to my consciousness and hence I have joined the BJP.

You have said that the present Congress is not the Congress of old times, what exactly do you mean by that?

The Congress of the past had several qualities, maybe a Congress of twenty five years ago or even a Congress a five years before. The present Congress is purely working for a few individuals and this is not what the country wants. According to me, I can’t comment much about the Congress as I have already left that party, but it would be nice if the Congress leaders introspect as to what went wrong for them. They should introspect why senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azadji left the party, why leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada all left the party. Several leaders across the country have left the Congress party and this is for that party to introspect.

Minority leaders like K.J. Alphons and Tom Vadakkan who are both Christians from Kerala had joined the BJP, but they seem to be not having much of a role to play in the party. Do you have anything to say on this?

Alphons is a great leader and is given a major responsibility by the party at the national level. He was a minister in Narendra Modi Ji’s cabinet and had performed extremely well. He is now a senior leader of the BJP and is respected highly. As far as Tom Vadakkanji is concerned, he is presently one of the spokesmen of the BJP and is doing a fabulous job as a party leader. Both these leaders are personally close to me and I share a good and healthy relationship with them. The reports that they are sidelined are totally wrong as they are both actively involved in organisational matters which everyone who knows how the BJP functions, know.

Will you be participating in the ‘YUVAM’ leadership conclave in Kochi in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address a huge gathering of youths?

Yes I will be part of that. I am honoured as the state leadership of the BJP has invited me to participate in the programme along with the Prime Minister and some other celebrities. The Prime Minister will be speaking to educated youngsters during the conclave. As you know, India is a young country with the median age of the country being 27 and the Prime Minister is taking up all schemes and programmes for the youth of the country. I feel once more highly honoured to be part of such an elite gathering.

Will we be seeing Anil Antony as a candidate of the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Alappuzha or from any constituency in Kerala?

As I said earlier, I have joined the BJP only to work with a political party with nationalistic outlook and nothing beyond that. It is the party which decides what I should do and what I should not be doing. I am not concerned about that and my only aim is to work for the party in the national reconstruction process and I have expertise in certain areas like IT, and foreign relations and will work according to the party directive.