‘I will support Sanju...’

Definitely contesting the elections again, Priya Dutt talks to Sheree Gomes Gupta about the buzz on Sanjay Dutt entering politics

Anything superstar Sanjay Dutt does or says these days (much of his own doing) becomes big news. So, it’s not surprising that his desire to enter politics has created quite a stir, with several citizen’s groups protesting this move, going so far as to state at a press conference that the actor’s plans to contest is a “symbol of criminals entering politics.”

What’s got his critics even more riled up is Sanjay’s sister Congress MP Priya Dutt’s recent interview to a news channel, where she apparently said she’d have no problem in giving up her seat for her brother. However, Priya says her statements were lifted out of context.

“I said that I don’t own the seat that I am occupying. It belongs to the Congress party, which has all the rights to give the ticket for this seat to anyone they want to, including my brother. And obviously, I would not stand in the way. Unfortunately, it was edited in such a manner that the entire meaning got misconstrued,” she clarifies.

The relationship between the Munnabhai… star and Priya (as well as his other sister Namrata Dutt and the rest of the family) has been under strain ever since his dalliance with Manyata.  However, Priya maintains that nothing, not even politics, could come between them.

“Our family has gone through too much and overcome too much to let anything come in the way. He is my brother and I will always love him,”  Priya adds. Sanjay, she says, has on several occasions discussed with her his desire to enter politics someday and continue their father, the late actor and politician Sunil Dutt’s, good work.

“But right now his focus is more on his career, which fortunately is going very well,” she adds. 

However, if and when Sanjay does decide to enter politics, she ‘will support him wholeheartedly’:  “When my father died and I entered politics, it was a very difficult time. That’s when I turned to my brother and sister for advice and both of them supported me completely,” she reveals.

But would he make a good leader, considering his troubled past with the law, and also with drugs? “Let’s get this clear — Sanjay is not a terrorist, and has been exonerated by the court. Whatever happened was a long time ago and he has reformed himself since then. I think, Sanju is a great example for kids.  Yes, he’s been a drug addict, but he is also one of the few who could kick the habit. His ability to bounce back in spite of everything that he’s gone through is remarkable.  Instead of harping on the negative, people should be happy that someone wants to do some good work for them. If, once given the responsibility, he fails then they have every right to criticise,” she says.

It’s been a tough political tenure for Priya, who’s had to juggle between her roles as wife, mother and sister, all the while battling the system to help her constituents. What keeps her going, and would she contest the elections again, if given the opportunity?
“Honestly, there are times when I feel like giving it all up, but then when I see the end result of the work me and my office is doing, I know it’s all worth it. So, yes, I would definitely contest the elections again,” she signs off.
g_sheree@dnaindia.net