Cong stunned, BJP, Sena silent

Sanjay Dutt’s sentence has come as a shock to the MPCC while detractors BJP and Sena have lapsed into silence.

The actor had campaigned for his sister Priya Dutt who fought the Lok Sabha by-elections on a Congress ticket after father Sunil Dutt’s death.

Congress spokesperson Hussain Dalwai said “We have nothing to say on the court verdict. But it was harsh. Let us see what happens in the Supreme Court.” The feeling in the Congress was the government should now reopen the cases against the 1992-’93 rioters too.

BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde said, “He has our sympathies, but we should understand that the families who lost their near and dear ones in the blasts are not going to forgive. We should respect the verdict.”

In private, a Sena leader said, “Some punishment was necessary to send the right message.”