No harm in giving assembly ticket to gangster's brother: SP leader Abu Azmi

Mumbai [India], Dec. 11 (ANI): Defending the Samajwadi Party's decision to give a ticket to alleged gangster Mukhtar Ansari's brother Sigbatullah Ansari for next year's assembly polls, Abu Azmi, the president of the party's Maharashtra unit, said one should not have biased opinions on a person just because his brother is involved in illegal activities. "The Samajwadi Party can never give ticket to any gangster, the party always gives tickets to worthy and honest people and, I don't think that just because his brother is a gangster, he shouldn't be allowed to contest the polls," Azmi told ANI. "Even the Vice-President of India, Hamid Ansari, is distantly related to Mukhthar Ansari. But we know the difference of character between the two," he added. Citing examples of the Mumbai elections, Azmi said that even gangster Rajan's brother contests elections for Disabilities Affairs Minister Ramdas Athawale's Republican Party of India. "If you see in the Mumbai elections, Athawale offers tickets to gangster Rajan's brother. He contests elections in every assembly polls," he said. The Samajwadi Party yesterday announced 23 candidates for the upcoming UP assembly polls which include the name of Sigbatullah Ansari, the brother of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari. The Ansari brothers belong to Quami Ekta Dal which recently merged with the party despite opposition from Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Samajwadi Party Uttar Pradesh unit president Shivpal Singh Yadav released the names at the party headquarters in Lucknow. Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav have been at loggerheads over the merger of the Quami Ekta Dal with the Samajwadi party, with the latter supporting the move. (ANI)