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|alma_mater = [[Maharaja's College]] (B.A.)<br>[[Government Law College, Ernakulam|University of Kerala]] (LL.B.)<ref name="Antony MoD"/>
|alma_mater = [[Maharaja's College]] (B.A.)<br>[[Government Law College, Ernakulam|University of Kerala]] (LL.B.)<ref name="Antony MoD"/>
|profession = Politician<br>Lawyer
|profession = Politician<br>Lawyer
|religion = [[Atheism]];<ref name=atheism>[http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_we-are-talking-of-a-lifestyle-sans-god_1326966 A lifestyle sans God, DNA India] [http://www.ndtv.com/news/elections/some_interesting_facts_about_the_cabinet.php Interesting facts about 2009 Indian cabinet, NDTV]</ref>
|religion = [[Atheism]];<ref name=atheism>[http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_we-are-talking-of-a-lifestyle-sans-god_1326966 A lifestyle sans God, DNA India] [http://www.ndtv.com/news/elections/some_interesting_facts_about_the_cabinet.php Interesting facts about 2009 Indian cabinet, NDTV]</ref> devotee of [[Mata Amritanandamayi]]<ref name=amrita1>[http://archives.amritapuri.org/matruvani/vol-02/feb02/02mv02abode.php `Amma, The Abode Of Peace'] (Speech by A. K. Antony), 27 Sep. 2001; published: Matruvani, Feb. 2002.</ref><ref name=amrita2>[[Paul Zacharia]]: [http://www.tehelka.com/story_main31.asp?filename=Ne300607The_Lakshmi.asp Lakshmi of our times], Tehelka, June 2007.</ref>
}}
}}


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Antony is married to Elizabeth, a [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church|Syrian Orthodox]] and a [[Kerala High Court]] lawyer.<ref name="Lawyers Kerala">{{cite web|title=Resul Pookutty and Elizabeth Antony enroll as lawyers at Kerala High Court|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/south/resul-pookutty-elizabeth-antony-enroll-lawyers-284|accessdate=20 June 2012}}</ref> They have two sons named Anil Antony who is a graduate of [[Stanford University]]<ref name="Antony son1">{{cite web|title=Stanford University Degree Conferral Candidates : 2008‐2009 Winter|url=http://facultysenate.stanford.edu/2008_2009/reports/SenD6202_degree_cand_wntr_08_09.pdf|accessdate=2012-02-12}}</ref> and Ajith Antony who is a graduate of [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]].<ref name="Antony son2">{{cite web|title=Ajith Paul Antony, younger son to debut in films|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/105378/ak-antonys-son-debut-films.html|accessdate=2012-02-12}}</ref>
Antony is married to Elizabeth, a [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church|Syrian Orthodox]] and a [[Kerala High Court]] lawyer.<ref name="Lawyers Kerala">{{cite web|title=Resul Pookutty and Elizabeth Antony enroll as lawyers at Kerala High Court|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/south/resul-pookutty-elizabeth-antony-enroll-lawyers-284|accessdate=20 June 2012}}</ref> They have two sons named Anil Antony who is a graduate of [[Stanford University]]<ref name="Antony son1">{{cite web|title=Stanford University Degree Conferral Candidates : 2008‐2009 Winter|url=http://facultysenate.stanford.edu/2008_2009/reports/SenD6202_degree_cand_wntr_08_09.pdf|accessdate=2012-02-12}}</ref> and Ajith Antony who is a graduate of [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]].<ref name="Antony son2">{{cite web|title=Ajith Paul Antony, younger son to debut in films|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/105378/ak-antonys-son-debut-films.html|accessdate=2012-02-12}}</ref>


A. K. Antony was born into a Syrian Catholic family. He is an [[atheism|atheist]]<ref name=atheism/> and has always assumed office by [[Affirmation in law|affirmation]] rather than by a religious oath.
A. K. Antony was born into a Syrian Catholic family. He is an [[atheism|atheist]]<ref name=atheism/> and has always assumed office by [[Affirmation in law|affirmation]] rather than by a religious oath; however, he is a devotee of [[Mata Amritanandamayi]]<ref name=amrita1/> and claims to have seen stars when she hugged him.<ref name=amrita2/>


==Honours, awards and international recognition==
==Honours, awards and international recognition==

Revision as of 10:51, 3 February 2014

A. K. Antony
MP
Minister of Defence
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 October 2006
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byPranab Mukherjee
Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
In office
1993–1995
Prime MinisterP. V. Narasimha Rao
Chief Minister of Kerala
In office
17 May 2001 – 29 August 2004
GovernorSikander Bakht
T. N. Chaturvedi
R. L. Bhatia
Preceded byE. K. Nayanar
Succeeded byOommen Chandy
In office
22 March 1995 – 9 May 1996
GovernorB. Rachaiah
P. Shiv Shankar
Khurshed Alam Khan
Preceded byK. Karunakaran
Succeeded byE. K. Nayanar
In office
27 April 1977 – 27 October 1978
GovernorN. N. Wanchoo
Jyothi Vencatachellum
Preceded byK. Karunakaran
Succeeded byP. K. Vasudevan Nair
Personal details
Born
Arackaparambil Kurien Antony
അറയ്ക്കപറമ്പില്‍ കുര്യന്‍ ആന്റണി

(1940-12-28) 28 December 1940 (age 84)
Cherthala, Travancore,
British India (now India)
Political partyIndian National Congress (Before 1978; 1982–present)File:Flag of the Indian National Congress.svg
Other political
affiliations		Indian National Congress-Urs (1978–1980)
Indian National Congress-A (1980–1982)
SpouseElizabeth Antony
Alma materMaharaja's College (B.A.)
University of Kerala (LL.B.)[1]
ProfessionPolitician
Lawyer

Arackaparambil Kurien "A. K." Antony (born 28 December 1940) is an Indian politician who is the current Defence Minister of India,[5] and also the Member of Parliament (MP) from the upper house, Rajya Sabha, of Parliament. He previously served as the Chief Minister of the state of Kerala.

Antony presently serves as the Chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute,[6] President of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses,[7] Chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee of the All India Congress Committee[8] and member of the Central Election Committee and the Congress Working Committee.[9] He is a senior member of the Cabinet Committees on Accommodation, Economic Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, Political Affairs, and Security.[10]

Early life and education

A. K. Antony was born at Cherthala, near Alleppey in Travancore, as the son of Arackaparambil Kurien Pillai and Aleykutty Kurian.[11] He lost his father in 1959 and self-financed part of his education through odd jobs.[12]

He completed his primary education in Holy Family Boys High school (Lower primary) and Government Boys High school (Upper primary), Cherthala (both are mixed higher secondary schools now and the latter has changed its name to Sree Narayana Memorial Government Higher Secondary school) and completed his Bachelor of Arts from Maharajas College and Bachelor of Law from University of Kerala.[1]

Political career

Early politics

A. K. Antony entered into politics as a student leader in Cherthala Taluk (Alleppey District) as an activist of Kerala Students Union (KSU) under the guidance of M. A. John.[13] He has been an active leader of many strikes like Oru Ana Samaram (Single Penny Strike). He became the youngest president[14] of Kerala Students Union in 1966[14] and also served in the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) before becoming an All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in 1984. When he became KPCC president in 1972 he was the youngest person to hold that post. He was elected again as KPCC president in 1987, and was defeated by Vayalar Ravi in the KPCC presidential elections in 1991.

Congress Politics and Party Faction

Congress (A) was a political party founded by Antony when he split from the Indian National Congress (Urs) a splinter group of the Indian National Congress (and opposed Indira Gandhi in inner party politics during the time when she was prosecuted by the Morarji Desai government, splitting off from the parent party with Devraj Urs.) The party was primarily active in Kerala and joined the LDF ministry headed by E. K. Nayanar during 1980-1982. After the fall of the Nayanar ministry, this party merged with the Congress in 1982, but Antony was not given any office until the death of Indira Gandhi. The members of the party have continued as a faction in the local congress afterwards.

Chief Minister of Kerala

On accusations in the Rajan case, K. Karunakaran resigned and Antony was made the 8th Chief Minister of Kerala.[15] Antony thus became the youngest Chief Minister of the state[14][16] at the age of 37 serving from years 27 April 1977 to 27 October 1978.

Again, when K. Karunakaran resigned in connection with the ISRO case Antony was made the 16th Chief Minister of Kerala serving from years 22 March 1995 to 9 May 1996. He was the Leader of Opposition in Kerala Legislative Assembly during 1996 to 2001. Antony was elected and served the third term from 17 May 2001 to 29 August 2004. He failed to retain power on the first two occasions as Chief minister. In 2004, immediately after the Congress in Kerala suffered a total rout in the Lok Sabha elections amid factional politics and in-fighting within the Congress Party, Antony resigned as the Chief Minister of Kerala.[14][16] He was succeeded by Oommen Chandy.

It was at his behest that the decision to construct the new Legislature Complex was taken in 1977. During his tenure, he introduced the Unemployment Allowance, Festival Allowance for the State Employees, Prohibition of arrack and the steps initiated to revive the economy of Kerala. He also took some initiatives in the field of Higher Education, Science & Technology, Bio-Technology, Information Technology and other related areas.[17]

Government offices

Union Minister for Civil Supplies

He was a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha between 1985 and 1995 and was the Minister for Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution for a year in 1994 during the tenure of Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao. He resigned on moral grounds as food minister in 1994 when his ministry was involved in a sugar import scandal, despite there being no allegations against him.[14][18]

Union Minister for Defence

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In 2005, A. K. Antony entered the Rajya Sabha and was inducted into the Union Council of Ministers as Defence Minister following Natwar Singh's expulsion from the Congress and Pranab Mukherjee's transfer to the Ministry of External Affairs. After the Congress again won the elections in 2009 and formed the government once again under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Antony retained the portfolio of Defence for the second term becoming the longest serving Defence Minister of India in a continuous stint for 7 years.[19][20]

Political party role

Antony's political skills and long experience in government have also led him to heading a large number of committees of Ministers in the government, a device that has been employed to obtain consensus within the members of the governing coalition on contentious issues.[21][22]

GoM EGoM
Location of National War Memorial Spectrum Allocation
Reports of Administrative Reforms Commission Gas Pricing and Commercial Utilization
Corruption Ultra Mega Power Projects
Recommendations with regard to Commonwealth Games Mass Rapid Transit System

Public image

Antony is known for his incorruptible record and simple personal life[23][24] and his intolerance towards corruption in public life.[14][16][25][26][27][28][29][30] He has assiduously cultivated a public image that turns his perceived weaknesses into strengths.[31] He was ranked among top 10 Most Powerful Indians for the year 2012 by the Indian Express.[32]

After Pranab Mukherjee was nominated for 2012 President of India election, A. K. Antony has been placed as the second in command after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Cabinet of India.[5][33][34]

Personal life and beliefs

Antony is married to Elizabeth, a Syrian Orthodox and a Kerala High Court lawyer.[35] They have two sons named Anil Antony who is a graduate of Stanford University[36] and Ajith Antony who is a graduate of St. Stephen's College, Delhi.[37]

A. K. Antony was born into a Syrian Catholic family. He is an atheist[2] and has always assumed office by affirmation rather than by a religious oath; however, he is a devotee of Mata Amritanandamayi[3] and claims to have seen stars when she hugged him.[4]

Honours, awards and international recognition

Year Name Awarding organization Ref.
2008 Malayali of the Year 2007 Award. Asianet. [38]

References

Wikinews has related news:
  1. ^ a b "Antony Takes Over as Defence Minister". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b A lifestyle sans God, DNA India Interesting facts about 2009 Indian cabinet, NDTV
  3. ^ a b `Amma, The Abode Of Peace' (Speech by A. K. Antony), 27 Sep. 2001; published: Matruvani, Feb. 2002.
  4. ^ a b Paul Zacharia: Lakshmi of our times, Tehelka, June 2007.
  5. ^ a b "Archive: The Cabinet of India (2012) : The Team of the Prime Minister of India". Prime Minister's Office. Retrieved 29 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ "Office Bearers: Council of the Indian Statistical Institute". Indian Statistical Institute. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Executive Council of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses". Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  8. ^ "AICC Committees - Disciplinary Action Committee of the Indian National Congress Party". Indian National Congress. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  9. ^ "Congress Working Committee of the Indian National Congress Party". Indian National Congress. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  10. ^ "Composition and Functions of the Federal Cabinet Committees (as on August 8, 2012)" (PDF). Cabinet Secretariat. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  11. ^ "Antony pays respects to his mother on her anniversary in 2009". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  12. ^ "Know your ministers: A K Antony". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  13. ^ M. A. John, Congress leader, passes away, The Hindu, 23 Feb. 2011.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Antony: Mr Clean of Indian politics sworn in as Cabinet Minister". Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  15. ^ "A Hamlet For Delhi: Antony". Outlook (magazine). Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  16. ^ a b c "Brief Profile: AK Antony". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  17. ^ "Chief Ministers, Ministers and Leaders of Opposition in Kerala: Biographical Sketches and other data" (PDF). Niyamasabha. 26 February 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  18. ^ No allegations against AK Antony in Sugar import scandal: Possible successors to Manmohan Singh CNBC - 27 May 2009
  19. ^ "AK Antony becomes the longest serving Defence Minister of India at a stretch". The Pioneer (Indian newspaper). Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  20. ^ "AK Antony becomes the longest continuously serving Defence Minister". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  21. ^ "Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India". Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  22. ^ "P Chidambaram, A K Antony & Sharad Pawar get wider EGoM roles after Pranab Mukherjee's exit". The Economic Times. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  23. ^ "'Mr Clean', Antony Has Been the Trouble Shooter". Outlook (magazine). Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  24. ^ "Here comes Saint Antony". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  25. ^ "'Saint Antony' shows his aggressive face". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  26. ^ "The Gandhians amidst us: AK Antony". Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  27. ^ "A.K. Antony, Congress". Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  28. ^ "India's New Defence Minister: The Dilemma of Honesty or Efficiency". Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  29. ^ "All is not well at South Block, still". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  30. ^ "For the larger good, let bad blood spill". The Pioneer (Indian newspaper). Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  31. ^ Paul, Cithara (26 May 2013). "Come 2014, Antony may pip Manmohan in PM race". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  32. ^ "Top 10: The most powerful Indians in 2012". The Indian Express. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  33. ^ "It's official, Antony is No. 2 in UPA-II". The Indian Express. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  34. ^ "Defence Minister A K Antony is number two in government?". The Economic Times. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  35. ^ "Resul Pookutty and Elizabeth Antony enroll as lawyers at Kerala High Court". Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  36. ^ "Stanford University Degree Conferral Candidates : 2008‐2009 Winter" (PDF). Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  37. ^ "Ajith Paul Antony, younger son to debut in films". Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  38. ^ "Asianet Malayali of the Year 2007 award presented to A.K. Antony". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to A. K. Antony.
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Minister of Kerala
1977–1978 		Succeeded by
Chief Minister of Kerala
1995–1996 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Minister of Kerala
2001–2004 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
 Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
1993–1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Defence
2006–present 		Incumbent

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