Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader A K Antony's younger son Ajith has said that his elder brother Anil, who on Thursday joined BJP, will be thrown away like used curry leaves by the saffron party.

Ajith told Manorama News that he hopes Anil would correct his mistake and come back to the Congress. “The experiences of others like Alphonse Kannanthanam and Tom Vadakkan, who joined the BJP, point to such treatment. BJP will use these leaders temporarily and throw them away like used curry leaves. Anil's BJP entry made our father very sad. I have never seen him so devastated. He didn't shed tears, that's all,” Ajith said.

Criticism triggered him
He said Anil never gave the family any hint about his decision to join BJP. “Even when he called me to wish on my birthday on April 6, he didn't mention this. I think this was a very impulsive, wrong, spur-of-the-moment decision. I guess he was triggered by the harsh criticism from Congress quarters after his comments on the BBC (documentary),” said Ajith.

Anil had tweeted in January: "Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in India placing views of BBC, a UK state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over Indian institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, will undermine our sovereignty."

Ajith also added that though he is not active in politics, he supports the Congress.