After witnessing brother’s murder, Congress’s Ajay Rai took on Mukhtar Ansari

"We did not give in before Mukhtar Ansari despite his stature and continued our struggle for justice despite all odds," an emotional Ajay Rai, president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of Congress, said last year after the gangster-politician was awarded a life term for killing his brother Awadhesh Rai in 1991. The court order ended a 32-year-long wait for justice for Ajay Rai and his family.

Over the 32 years, Ajay Rai switched several parties, from the BJP to the Samajwadi Party to Congress, but one thing remained constant -- his legal battle against Mukhtar Ansari, who passed away due to cardiac arrest on March 28.

The Congress has announced Ajay Rai's candidature from Varanasi, where the Bhumihar leader would take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a third consecutive time.

THE AWADHESH RAI MURDER CASE

In the 1980s, the government had kickstarted development work in the Ghazipur-Varanasi belt, which was then Uttar Pradesh's one of the most backward regions. The government had started giving contracts for the work.

During that time, gang wars were at their peak in Uttar Pradesh, which was then witnessing the rise of the contractor mafia.

Around 1990, Ghazipur's contract work was overtaken by a gang led by strongman Brijesh Singh.

Mukhtar Ansari, seeking to establish his dominance, competed with Singh for control of the Rs 100-crore contract business, which included coal mining, railway construction, scrap disposal, and liquor business.

Ansari and Singh soon became the main rivals in the Poorvanchal region, with shootings between the gangs becoming a common occurrence.

Ajay Rai and his elder brother Awadhesh were said to be associated with the Brijesh Singh gang. Awadhesh Rai, who was popular and wielded influence in Varanasi by organising mega Durga Puja festivals annually, proved to be a hurdle for Ansari to fortify his hold over the contract business.

"My elder brother took Durga Puja celebrations up to newer heights in Varanasi. He was proving a big hurdle for criminals like Mukhtar in expanding their reach among the traders and boosting their extortion trade. Thus, he was murdered, after which Mukhtar and other gangsters flourished," Ajay Rai had reportedly said after Ansari's conviction in 2023.

On August 3, 1991, the brothers were about to enter their home in the Maldiya area of Varanasi when some assailants arrived in a car and sprayed bullets on Awadhesh. Ajay retaliated by opening fire with his licenced pistol, following which the assailants fled the spot, leaving the car behind.

The car later proved to be the bugbear for Ansari that led to his conviction.

Even though Awadhesh was rushed to the hospital, the doctors declared him dead on arrival. Based on Ajay Rai's complaint, an FIR was registered against five people, including Mukhtar Ansari.

A former government counsel, who had pursued the case, had said the murder was the result of a local "supremacy dispute".

However, the case went cold for nearly 30 years as police authorities failed to find evidence against Ansari. It was also a fact that Ansari had his tentacles spread in the political corridors.

The case started to move forward only after Ansari lost his clout and he was shifted to Banda jail in 2022. Interestingly, during the trial, the case's original diary went missing. While the diary could not be recovered, its photocopy was used in court.

Even though Ansari's legal team objected to the development, the court went ahead with the trial. Ansari was subsequently convicted and awarded a life term in prison.

WHEN MUKHTAR ANSARI SUPPORTED AJAY RAI AGAINST NARENDRA MODI

Years after the murder of Awadhesh Rai, in 2014, Mukhtar Ansari and Ajay Rai crossed paths again. In 2014, Mukhtar Ansari's party, Qaumi Ekta Dal, had announced support for Ajay Rai in the Lok Sabha polls, where he was pitted by Congress against heavyweights Narendra Modi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Ansari had said he would not be contesting from Varanasi "to prevent a split in secular votes" and backed Ajay Rai. However, the effort failed to bear fruit and Rai came third.

This time, a similar situation is on the cards. The Samajwadi Party and the Congress are part of the INDIA bloc. The SP has re-nominated Mukhtar Ansari's brother Afzal Ansari from Ghazipur. Ajay Rai has again been fielded from Varanasi.

There is a saying in politics that blood is thicker than water. It remains to be seen if the duo keep aside their long-standing rivalry for political aspirations.