The BJP alleged that gangster-turned-politician Ansari engaged in immoral and illegal activities from inside the Punjab jail, and asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra why such special treatment was extended to him.

The BJP's attack came a day after Punjab minister Harjot Singh Bains accused the previous Congress regime of providing “VIP treatment” to Ansari when he was lodged at Rupnagar jail in the state.

"Congress lends a helping hand to criminals and mafias. BJP leader Alka Rai, the wife of slain Krishnanand Rai, had written several letters to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asking her not to patronise a criminal. The UP government had approached the Supreme Court to bring Ansari back to UP but the then Punjab government opposed it as it wanted to provide all facilities to him," BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi told PTI.

"I want to ask Rahul and Priyanka why they were giving these facilities to Ansari. What Congress got in return for providing these facilities to a gangster. The current government is establishing that Ansari was involved in immoral and illegal activities from inside the jail," he said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's media advisor Mrityunjay Kumar also targeted the Congress.?

"By lodging a fake FIR, the Punjab government saved Mukhtar Ansari for over two-and-a-half years. In a barrack of 20, Mukhtar used to live alone with his wife as a VIP. When UP Police tried to take him away, the Congress even paid fees of lawyers to save him. Why such affection from a gangster?" Kumar said in a tweet in Hindi.

Punjab's jails minister Bains, in a debate in the Punjab assembly on Tuesday, had alleged that Ansari was kept in Rupnagar jail for two years and three months after a "fake" FIR was lodged against him.

"He was given VIP treatment and his wife stayed with him. Five-star facilities were given to him.... It is a serious issue," the minister had told the House.

The minister said the Uttar Pradesh government had to move the Supreme Court to get Ansari's custody and senior lawyers were engaged to save Ansari by the then state government and the fee of a lawyer was Rs 11 lakh for appearing in the case.

He also claimed a bill of Rs 55 lakh on account of fee of the advocates. "Why should we give the bill of Rs 55 lakh for keeping a gangster? I have ordered for registration of FIR in the case," Bains had said.

Refusing the allegation, Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa had asked Bains to prove that Ansari's wife stayed in the jail.?"Can you prove that his (Ansari) wife stayed in jail? If you cannot prove it, then you will have to resign," he had said.

The custody of Mukhtar Aansari was handed over to the Uttar Pradesh Police in April last year to transfer him to Banda prison. Ansari was kept at Punjab's Rupnagar jail in connection with an extortion case.

The Supreme Court had directed the Punjab government to hand over the custody of Ansari to the Uttar Pradesh police, saying the same was being denied on trivial grounds under the guise of medical issues.

(With PTI inputs)