Taking on the gangs of Ghazipur

Alka Rai, the widow of Krishnanand Rai won the elections recently, but the victory is tinged with sadness, as there is a lot of work to be done in the mafia-rife district in UP

The heavily guarded sprawling house is bustling with activity. Hundreds of supporters walk in and out of the house, with sweets and garlands. There is an unusually strong posse of personal gun-toting security men in plain clothes that stand guard all around. The entry of photographers and strangers is prohibited for “security reasons”. One can enter the house only after proper scrutiny. There are celebrations galore because Alka Rai, widow of former BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, has just won the elections from Mohammadabad in Ghazipur district but her smile is laced with sadness.

“This was not an election but a fight for justice and for my honour. Seedhi ladai thi — apradh aur vikas ki”, she says. When she talks of justice, she obviously refers to the murder of her husband in November 2005, allegedly by mafia don Mukhtar Ansari. Alka’s husband Krishnanand Rai, the then BJP MLA, was killed in a shootout in his native village in November 2005 and the main accused was Mukhtar Ansari.

The murder had sent shock waves in Uttar Pradesh and the then Mulayam Singh government recommended a CBI inquiry to escape the heat. Alka Rai was fielded by the BJP in the by-election on her husband’s seat and won. A year later in 2007, she was defeated in the same constituency, ironically, by Sigbatullah Ansari, the brother of Mukhtar Ansari. The murder also impacted the state underworld since Krishnanand Rai was known for his proximity to mafia don Brijesh Singh — an arch rival of Mukhtar Ansari.

The shootout that left the MLA and six others dead was a result of this underworld rivalry between the Gangs of Ghazipur, as the rivals are still known. For Alka, her victory over Sigbatullah Amsari in these elections is justice, partly delivered.

“Nyay to abhi bhi poora nahin hua,” she says with a weak smile but admits that she has demolished a strong bastion of the Ansari brothers and that is no mean feat.  “I am hopeful that I will finally get justice in court. The battle has been continuing for the past 12 years, and I have been closely working on the case with the lawyers. I will sleep peacefully only on the day when these people are punished by the court. I want my husband’s killers to pay for their sins,” she adds.

Incidentally, Alka’s lawyers worked overtime to ensure that Mukhtar Ansari does not get parole to campaign. As she talks, she recalls the years after her husband’s death. “They were difficult years. My two sons were young and the elder one was preparing to go abroad for his education. I was a simple housewife and my interaction with the outside world was restricted to those who worked for my husband,” she recalls.

Alka says that if she could come to terms with the tragedy, move on with life, it was only because her husband’s supporters stood by her. “Immediately after my husband’s death, I was asked by the BJP to contest the by-election. I was not keen but the people asked me to complete the work started by my husband. I was a housewife who had no knowledge of politics but the supporters and the people’s persuasion helped me win the by-election and emerge stronger,” she says.

A smile flits across her face as she talks about her family and you know instantly that Alka is still a homemaker at heart.  “My elder son Praveen is now settled in the USA with his wife, who is a doctor. They have a son — my grandson. The younger son Piyush is with me and helps me,” she says. But will she now use her power as a legislator to settle scores with her rivals? “Hum kya karenge? Ab to matter court mein hai. Ab hum sirf Vidhayak ji (her husband) ka sapna poora karenge,” she says. The conflicting thoughts that, perhaps flit, across her mind are visible in the creases of her face.

Alka leads a simple life and dresses mostly in muted shades of whites and brown, occasionally opting for pink, but during her campaign, she interacted with women, asking them to support her in her fight for justice. The result proved that she had struck the right chord and she won with a margin of 32,000 votes.

Talking about the fear factor of the Ansari brothers in her constituency, Alka says, “They have their men in every village and the people know that they will be punished if they dare to go against them. It was only my husband who could stand up against these people and his popularity can be gauged from the fact that people support me even 12 years after his death. They now have the same expectations from me.”

She further explains that “The importance of these people (Ansari brothers) has grown in the kind of politics that unfolded in Uttar Pradesh in the past 10 years. I could do nothing except sit at home. However, my determination to ensure justice for my husband did not diminish and I am grateful that the BJP gave me a chance once again this time.” Alka does not take the name of the Ansari brothers even once during the conversation. She refers to them as “woh log” and when asked, she explains, “I do not want to even take their name.”

Alka is not as articulate as a politician should be but she is well-acquainted with the “equations” in her constituency. Her home is fiercely guarded and all calls are first answered by either her son Piyush or her aides.

Each visitor is screened and her presence, or absence, in the house is kept a closely guarded secret. “The threat to their lives still continues. In fact, it has increased after bhabhi ji (Alka) defeated Sigbatullah Ansari. We are very careful and do not entertain unknown people,” says an aide.

A loyal staff member in the family quietly informs, “She used to stay at home when Krishnanand ji was MLA but now she has to come out and she is learning to be comfortable in her new role.” She also carries with her an air of apprehension which is understandable because she is not yet a perfect neta. For her, politics is restricted to ‘Modi ji’ and ‘vikas.’ “Yahan kuchh vikas nahin hua hai. In logon (she again refuses to name the Ansari brothers) ne koi kaam nahin kiya. The roads here are those that were built by Vidhayak ji (her husband). My husband’s murder is a separate issue and that is being fought in court but the development of the constituency is also an important issue here,” she says.

She, however, admits that in her campaign she told the people that she wanted to remove the shadow of fear that looms over the constituency. “For almost 32 years, these people have terrorised every village. Finally, that has gone and everyone can breathe free. I am happy that now we can work together for the development of this constituency,” she says.

Her supporters, meanwhile, want her to be made a minister.  “Bhabhi ji should be the jail minister so that she can set these people right. They are running their activities from inside the jail because the officials are afraid to rein them in,” says one of the many who wait outside.

However, while Alka remains determined to fight for justice till her last breath, a lot of equations have changed in and around Ghazipur. Brijesh Singh and Mukhtar Ansari are both members of the state legislature and their rivalry has watered down by “mutual consent”. Ajay Rai, another Bhumihar leader from the Congress whose brother Avadesh Rai was allegedly killed by the Mukhtar gang, has also built bridges to an extent with the Ansaris.

“Mujhe apni ladai ladni hai aur main pichhe nahin hatungi,” she says with determination underlining her tone.