Foes turn friends: Mukhtar supports Ajay Rai to beat Modi

VARANASI: Two musclemen-turned-politicians, Ajay Rai and Mukhtar Ansari, on Tuesday buried not only their political differences but also their history of blood feud for electoral gains. Mukhtar's Qaumi Ekta Dal declared support for Congress candidate Rai with the aim of consolidating anti-BJP votes in Varanasi, and try and defeat its prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi.

QED boss and Mukhtar's elder brother Afzal Ansari, suggesting that Congress leader Digvijay Singh played a key role in their rapprochement, made the announcement in presence of chiefs of five small parties contesting the elections under the banner of Ekta Manch during a press conference. Rai confirmed their coming together was the outcome of talks between the Congress central leadership and QED in Delhi recently.

Mukhtar is the main accused and being tried for the killing of Rai's elder brother Awadhesh Rai in 1991, for which he was booked by Chetganj police in Varanasi in 1999. In fact, on November 23, 2007, Rai was due to appear in a local court to appear as witness against Mukhtar in his brother's murder case, but the proceedings were stopped due to serial blasts in Kutcheri the same day. In 2009, Mukhtar and Rai had contested for the Lok Sabha from Varanasi and stood second and third.

Explaining the rivalry and rapprochement between Mukhtar and Rai, Afzal said, "Small interests can be sacrificed for bigger causes. At present the interest of people of Varanasi is our main concern." Rai avoided speaking on this issue and said let the court do its job. He said now all secular forces like SP and BSP should also join hands to defeat Modi.

Afzal said it was unacceptable that anybody should terms his organisation a party of "goonda-badmash" and resented the tag of musclemen attached to him and Rai. "Is Amit Shah a Shankaracharya? He is also accused in three murder cases," Afzal said. He then said both Modi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal were travellers to the city who will return to their homes after the elections.

"Only a local candidate can fight and solve the civic issues of Varanasi. Only Congress is capable of stopping polarization along communal lines. Which is why QED and its alliance partners took the decision to team up," he added.

The winner in Varanasi in 2009, BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi, had got 2,03,122 votes while Mukhtar, who had contested on a BSP ticket, got 1,85,911 votes. Rai, who had fought on SP ticket, got 1,23,874 votes, and the Congress candidate Rajesh Mishra was fourth with 66,386 votes.