Varanasi: BJP MLA Alka Rai, the widow of slain MLA Krishnanand Rai, has shot another letter to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleging that prison minister of Congress-ruled Punjab is enjoying hospitality of the henchmen of jailed mafia don and MLA Mukhtar Ansari in UP. Rai further said that Punjab government’s protection to Mukhtar Ansari has increased life threat for her family as well as people fighting cases pending against the don.
Rai, who wrote the first letter to Priyanka in October 2020 asking her to direct the Congress government in Punjab to send Mukhtar to UP for trial of pending cases, penned her fourth letter on March 15 and also released a video message.
“Punjab government has kept Mukhtar as a state guest in Ropar jail. On the other hand, Punjab’s prison minister Sukhjindar Singh Randhawa is touring UP districts and enjoying the hospitality of Mukhtar’s henchmen,” she alleged.
Rai said, “Priyanka would have realized the pain I suffered had she faced circumstances like me. It is shocking that Priyanka has not replied to any letter while the Punjab government is spending lakhs of rupees to hire lawyers to ensure Mukhtar is not sent to UP.”
“The sympathy of Congress for the mafia don is causing serious threat to me, my family and people pursuing cases against Mukhtar. If anything untoward happens to me, my family or these people, only Congress party and its government in Punjab would be responsible for it,” said Rai.
She expressed hope that this time Priyanka would reply to her letter and take necessary action.
The MLA had sent her first letter to Priyanka in October 2020 when a team of UP Police went to Punjab to bring Mukhtar for court hearing but the authorities of Ropar Jail did not hand him over.
She sent the second letter in January first week and a third letter on January 30 after photographs of Mukhtar’s son Abbas Ansari’s marriage were posted on social media.
Besides Rai, Ashok Singh of Mau who is also fighting the case of the killing of his brother, Ajay Prakash Singh alias Munna, a PWD contractor, in August 2009 followed by murders of prime witnesses in the case Ram Singh Maurya and police constable in March 2010, also sent a letter to Priyanka and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in February, questioning why Congress-ruled Punjab is shielding the don.
Mukhtar has been in Ropar jail since 2019.