New Delhi: Congress MP and jailed actor Sanjay Dutt’s sister, Priya Dutt on Friday called upon Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the Capital to apprise her of the situation in her brother’s case. Minister of State for Home Prakash Jaiswal was reportedly part of the meeting too.
However, even as Priya met the Congress chief, the TADA court's ruling in the Sanjay Dutt case on Tuesday has exposed "divisions" in the ruling Congress with the party officially distancing itself from Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi's views on the judgment.
Union ministers Kapil Sibal and P R Dasmunsi on Wednesday came out in support of Dutt saying that the Congress should stand by the family of late Congress leader Sunil Dutt.
The Dutt sentencing has the Congress in a fix with the party not wanting to take a position on the case, despite its close associations with the Dutt family.
”Not only will the film industry be greatly affected by his imprisonment, but Sanjay Dutt has lived an exemplary life in society, becoming a role model to the new generation and so he will always have my sympathies," Dasmunsi had said creating a furore.
Despite his support for Dutt creating a controversy, Dasmunsi has stood his ground declaring that the jailed actor was a "patriot" and asserted that he would "never disown" the contribution of the Dutt family.
Meanwhile, Sibal speaking separately and "not as a minister" said, "when the family is in trouble we should stand by the family." The noted lawyer said he was speaking without going into the merits of the case.
Dutt practices Gandhigiri in jail
For Sanjay Dutt, jail is now the best place to practice the famous Gandhigiri he propagated in his movie Lage Raho Munnabhai.
Dutt has apparently asked Pune’s Yerawada Jail authorities to grant him permission to join the Gandhi Vichar Pariksha course in jail.
This novel course teaches Gandhian ideology to the inmates and it is believed that Dutt wants to do the one-year course and possibly teach as well.
The voluntary programme, in which inmates attend lectures and are issued books on the Mahatma, is run by an NGO and was started four years back.
