Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, on Sunday, visited the family of deceased Mukhtar Ansari at his home in Ghazipur and said he hoped the truth of the death of the mafia-turned-politician would come out and the family would get justice.

“It is shocking that Mukhtar Ansari himself made apprehensions that he is being given poison in jail. I hope the government will bring the truth of his death before us and the family will get justice,” Yadav said after meeting Mukhtar Ansari’s family.

Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau, died of cardiac arrest on March 28, as per the government. However, the family members allege that he was given poison inside the jail.

Akhilesh Yadav, who went to Ghazipur to console the family, said that after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power, trust in institutions had come down.

“We have seen in UP that people are doing self-immolation (in front of) the chief minister’s residence and office for justice. Deaths are taking place inside jails. In custodial deaths, UP is leading,” he alleged.

The SP chief alleged that as the government did nothing for development or to increase the incomes of farmers, it had “no face to go before the people” and this was seen in the language used by the BJP leaders in election rallies.

In an obvious reference to Mukhtar Ansari’s death, raising suspicion on the government, Akhilesh Yadav asked, “Kya sarkar ghatnayein kara rahi hai laabh lene ke liye?” (Are incidents taking place at the government’s behest for political gains?)

“There were not one or two... but 9-10 paper leaks in the state. What does the government have to say about it, unemployment, the Agniveer scheme?” he said and claimed that if the BJP came to power again, such schemes would be introduced in the police force also.

Hailing the “contribution” of Mukhtar Ansari’s family, Yadav claimed that due to the work done for the poor, he won elections from jail and his grandfather and maternal grandfather were freedom fighters – the face that the government wanted to hide.

“The image shown is not the real image which Mukhtar Ansari carried on the ground,” he said.

Mukhtar Ansari’s son Umar Ansari said that Akhilesh Yadav had come to console his family and he was like a guardian.

The SP has given its ticket to Mukhtar’s brother Afzal Ansari from Ghazipur. In the 2019 election, Afzal won from the seat on Bahujan Samaj Party ticket defeating BJP’s Manoj Sinha.