"If I Am Alive After Assembly Polls, Will Definitely Speak Out": AK Antony
Three-time Kerala Chief Minister and the country's longest serving Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Wednesday said he will speak out on "certain things in his political life" after the Assembly polls next year.
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The veteran politician noted he has been away from Kerala politics for over two decades (File)
Thiruvananthapuram:
A.K. Antony, former Defence Minister and three-time Kerala Chief Minister, announced on Wednesday that he will reveal "certain aspects of his political journey" following next year's Assembly elections.
"At 85 years old now, should I still be here, I intend to speak out after the Assembly elections (scheduled for April/May 2026)," the senior Congress leader stated during an uncommon media interaction.
"I hadn't planned to address the press today, but two incidents regarding my tenure have repeatedly surfaced. These matters were brought up again during the current Assembly session by the ruling Left, which prompted me to meet with you. I'll limit my comments to those two specific incidents," he explained.
Antony mentioned that numerous journalists and others have approached him previously to document his life story.
"If I remain alive after the Assembly elections, I will certainly disclose certain matters about my political career," he affirmed.
He also emphasized that he has been absent from Kerala's political scene for 21 years, having shifted his focus to national politics after 2004.
Antony appeared at the state party headquarters to respond to criticisms made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Assembly recently.
"Facing such one-sided criticism, I felt obligated to address the police action at Sivagiri, the Sree Narayana Guru abode, in 1995. Following a High Court directive, I had to deploy police after exhausting all alternatives. The Kerala High Court had ordered that new elected officials assume leadership at Sivagiri. The events that transpired when police entered to ensure Swami Prakashananda's installation were unfortunate," he recounted.
Regarding the Muthanga incident of 2003, Antony expressed profound regret.
"I provided the largest land allocation to Adivasis. Yet I was accused of burning them alive," he stated.
He clarified that Muthanga was designated as a wildlife sanctuary, and when huts appeared there, all political parties and media demanded their removal.
"During police intervention, one adivasi and one police officer died. Subsequently, everyone reversed their position and blamed me. I would also highlight that in the 15 years since that incident, despite the Left's governance, they haven't allocated land to these communities. No one can legally do so," Antony added.
"I request the current Left administration to release both the judicial investigation report on the Sivagiri action and the CBI findings on the Muthanga incident. Make these documents public," Antony urged, stating that while he's not actively involved, he hasn't retired from politics.