As the seventh phase of the elections is upon Poorvanchal, the eastern edge of Uttar Pradesh, the recent death of Mukhtar Ansari brings the word ‘mafia’ into the political discourse. Akhilesh Yadav asserts that he does not need the help of the ‘mafia’, Shivpal Yadav contradicts him, asking the question, “Is there really a mafia?” Adityanath’s fiery comment towards the Samajwadi Party, a ‘professional mafia’ according to him, claims that “mafia ko mitti mein mila denge (we will crush the mafia to the ground)”. Such statements allow one to believe that the Bharatiya Janata Party views Mukhtar’s death as a positive step towards their larger aim for getting rid of ‘mafia dons’.
However, Afzal Ansari, brother of the deceased and the SP’s candidate from Ghazipur, recalls that to the 10% Muslim population, and the far greater majority of Dalits and lower caste communities of Ghazipur, Mukhtar was the undeclared messiah, and many viewed him as a small government unit of his own. Ghazipur still mourns his death, and this mourning will reflect in the coming elections.
In conversation with Afzal, one also sees another perspective towards dynasty politics and nepotism, as he claims. “Parivaarvaad – burai kya hai (What is wrong with familism)?” Ignoring the possibility of unqualified family members taking up politics, he claims in fact that his daughters are extremely qualified and there is nothing wrong with such children assisting their parents.
When debating the topic of secular parties giving seats and tickets to Muslims, Afzal controversially claims that perhaps it is necessary for Muslims to sacrifice representation so that they do not become soft targets of the BJP. He claims that the aim, after all, is to get rid of the BJP first. While the common Muslims of Moradabad, Rampur, Aligarh and Bulandshahr feel that despite voting for the SP their issues have been unaddressed, Afzal dismisses their plea by saying that while the Adityanatha government is still in power, the question of the INDIA alliance’s treatment of Muslim issues must not arise. It is only once power has been seized that anything can be done. “What is needed now is to remove these fascist forces from power,” he said.
Afzal had harsh criticism for multiple schemes started by the Modi regime, including free ration (“There was a Rs 90 discount during the Manmohan Singh government, and a Rs 10 discount thanks to Modi ji’s mercy”) and Swachh Bharat (“Chickens live in the toilets made with Modi ji’s money”).
He also spoke out against BJP leaders’ claim that the party will change the Constitution. “You can change the Constitution, you cannot remove it, you can make a new law, you can get it passed without debate, but when the people become adamant, then a dictator kneels down,” he said.
“The day these people succeed in wiping out this Constitution, God knows what will happen to the country. We believe that the people of the country will not give them this opportunity.”
