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Congress’ AK Antony quits electoral politics, says can’t be like a student leader at 81

Antony had an illustrious career in electoral politics, including three terms each as Union minister and Kerala CM. He was defence minister from 2006 to 2014 under UPA.

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New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister AK Antony has informed the Congress leadership that he will not seek re-election to his Rajya Sabha seat and move back to his home state of Kerala after his tenure comes to an end in April.

The announcement marks the end of Antony’s nearly 52-year-long illustrious career in electoral politics which includes three terms each as Union minister and chief minister of Kerala.

Elections to three Rajya Sabha seats in Kerala are due on 31 March

Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram Tuesday, the 81-year-old Antony thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the opportunities given to him to represent the party in Rajya Sabha.

Cannot be active like a student leader’

Antony said that his decision to opt out of the Rajya Sabha elections and call it quits from parliamentary politics, was motivated by age alone.

“I am 81. I cannot be active like when I was a student leader!” laughed Antony, explaining his decision to step away from Parliament and Delhi.

“I cannot forget Congress because I was nothing and I became something (because of the party). I will do politics, but I will do Congress politics. What I will stop is my parliamentary career,” said Antony.

Asked what he’s looking forward to most about moving back to Kerala, Antony said that it is the opportunity to connect with the people of Kerala and live within its diversity.

“I started everything from Kerala. I’m looking forward to being with the people here. Kerala is a place that respects diversity. It is the most important thing about Kerala. Even more than its natural beauty and food. Kerala people respect diversity and privacy,” he said.

Making the announcement to quit parliamentary politics Tuesday, Antony had said that he had informed Congress president Sonia Gandhi of his decision a few months ago. He thereafter informed the same to his colleagues in the Kerala Congress during his visit to the state last month.

Earlier, the Election Commission announced the dates for elections to three Rajya Sabha seats in Kerala which are currently by Antony, CPI(M)’s K. Somaprasad and M.V. Shreyams Kumar.

Kerala’s youngest CM, India’s longest-serving defence minister

‘Throughout his career, which began in Kerala politics during the 1970s, Antony had the reputation of being one of the Congress’ most honest and upright leaders, earning him the moniker ‘St Antony of Congress’. He was known to be one of Sonia Gandhi’s most trusted lieutenants, and also had good terms with Indira and Rajiv Gandhi.

Antony first became MLA in the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1970, after graduating from his student politics days, and went on to serve the first of his three terms as the state’s chief minister at the age of 37 in 1977. Apart from his five terms as MLA, he has also served as the chief of the Congress’ Kerala unit for 10 years. He served as Union minister for three terms – including the longest stint by any defence minister in the country–  from 2006 to 2014. He has also been a Rajya Sabha MP for five terms.

After the split within the Congress party in 1978, he quit as chief minister of the Congress (U) faction that led the coalition government in Kerala. The decision was a protest against the party’s support to Indira Gandhi in the 1978 bypoll. Anthony had also asked Gandhi to withdraw the Emergency earlier. After quitting as chief minister, Antony launched his own Congress faction called Congress (A), which later joined the Congress mothership – with Indira Gandhi attending the merger ceremony in Kochi.

Thereafter, Antony was made AICC general secretary in 1984 and has been a long-time member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). He shifted to Delhi full-time in 2004. During his time as defence minister, Antony was a part of the Congress Core Committee that made all the final decisions regarding the party and the government during the two UPA terms.


Also read: Former law minister Ashwani Kumar quits Congress, says ‘can best subserve causes outside party’


‘Die-hard Congressi’

After the Congress fell out of power in 2014, Antony has maintained silence in public on internal issues of the party, refusing to make a statement even during the dissent by the group of 23 senior party leaders. Congress leaders who have worked with him, even former members who have left the party, describe him as a “die-hard Congressi”, whose “honesty made him a force to bank on”.

“He led a very humble life,” said former Congressman and now BJP leader, Tom Vadakkan, also a fellow Kerala native. “He is open with a limited number of people, but I had the privilege of interacting with him very frankly and exchanging our views. The exchanges were mutual and frank and that rested on a personal equation with him during my stint with the Congress party,” Vadakkan added.

“Whenever someone would come to with a humanitarian crisis or problem that could be solved by the help of the armed forces or defence ministry, I would approach him for help and he would oblige,” he added, talking about Antony’s time as defence minister.

However, Vadakkan said that a “person like him (Antony)” would be “an asset in any other party”.

“Of course he’s always been a Congress person but his utility could’ve been better used outside the party. He was the Congress’ main source in Kerala but intra-party equations stopped him from being an useful interlink between the state and the national perspective,” said Vadakkan.

He also adds that Antony belongs to a generation of Congress leaders that have “aged like old wine”.

“He’s a product of a generational approach in the party. He was there during Indira and Rajiv’s period. It takes time to make leaders like that,” Vadakkan.

(Edited by Monami Gogoi)


Also read: Time to save Congress is now. Modi knows that, Gandhis don’t


 

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