Mukhtar Ansari’s brother lauds Yogi Adityanath, says ‘Modi magic over’

VARANASI: SP MP Afzal Ansari, who has been blaming the UP govt for the death of his younger brother and gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in Banda jail, on Wednesday praised Yogi Adityanath, saying the CM helped BJP win 30 seats while PM Narendra Modi’s “magic remained limited to not more than three seats in the state”, reports Rajeev Dikshit.”Had Yogi not camped in Varanasi, retaining his seat would have proved difficult for Modi,” claimed Afzal. “Modi’s magic is over now as Varanasi constituency is surrounded by Chandauli, Ghazipur and Machhlishahr LS constituencies and BJP lost all three. Gone are the days when Modi’s magic led to a cascading effect in east UP, Bihar and West Bengal because of his candidature from Varanasi,” Afzal said, adding that keeping ground realities in view, Yogi made best efforts in the last phases, especially in Varanasi. Afzal said BJP should thank Yogi for “avoiding a major disaster” in UP. “Due to his hard work and efforts, 30 seats could be won by BJP,” the SP MP said. Afzal, however, alleged that to save some dreaded criminals, state govt ensured Mukhtar Ansari died in Banda jail.