Maulana Mahmood Madani had words of fulsome praise for gangster-turned-politician late Mukhtar Ansari. A five-time MLA from the Mau Sadar seat, died of a cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda in March this year at the age of 63.
Madani said, "I did say he was 'garibon ka masihaa' (prophet of the poor), Please go and ask people in his area. They consider him as a man who helped the poor. It is not because he was a Muslim. Even 80 per cent non-Muslims in his area consider him so. He was truly a man who helped the poor. Please show me one case where he forcibly occupied anybody's property. I can say this with confidence. His brother is now an MP. When people pass away, we normally speak good about them. I never praised him when he was alive."
On whether law and order situation in UP has improved after the drive against mafia gangsters by Yogi's government, the Maulana replied: "Government should act strongly to maintain law and order, but there must be a limit to such action. If the limits are crossed, it cannot be justified. Implementation of rules should be the same for all, not in an improper manner. I do not object to taking action against mafia, but I object to crossing limits. You cannot punish a man's parents for his crimes."
