Sanjay Dutt stuns Congress, shares stage with BJP leaders

Sporting an orange Mahrashtrian 'pagdi', Sanjay Dutt surpirsed everyone with his presence at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) function on Sunday in Mumbai's Malad suburb. 

The event was organised on the occasion of Maharashtra Day. Sanjay Dutt was seen happily posing for photographs with the BJP leaders. 

Dutt's presence at the function at suburban Dindoshi evoked critical comments from sections in the opposition Congress, a party with which the 56-year-old actor's family has close association.

Finding fault with the BJP for inviting Dutt to the function, a local Congress leader said, "This is a classic case of anti-nationalism, which is not new to the saffron party ".

"It is nothing bizarre. Giving and taking protection from such elements has been in the DNA of the party. This had to happen one day," said Nizamuddin Raeen, spokesperson of the Mumbai Congress.

BJP's state president Ashish Shelar tweeted the following picture:

Dindoshi BJP organised musical event&felicitated eminent citizens! Surprising guest SANJAY DUTT! Tks @imohitkamboj pic.twitter.com/7zX09y1M1y

— ashish shelar (@ShelarAshish) May 1, 2016

Sanjay's late father Sunil Dutt was a Congress MP and was also the Union Minister between 2004-2005. Sanjay's sister Priya Dutt was elected in Lok Sabha representing the Congress in 2005 and 2009. However, in 2014 she was defeated by BJP's Poonam Mahajan. 

Sanjay in 2009 had joined the Samajwadi Party and became the state general secretary and campaigned for the Lok Sabha polls. 

Dutt had been sentenced to five-year imprisonment sentence for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. He was imprisoned in Yerawada jail in Pune. He was released from jail in early March 2016.