BJP, Congress sympathise with Sanjay Dutt

Cutting across party lines, politicians today expressed their sympathies for Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, sentenced to six years by TADA court under Arms Act, but they stood by the judicial decision.

New Delhi, Aug 1 : Cutting across party lines, politicians today expressed their sympathies for Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, sentenced to six years by TADA court under Arms Act, but they stood by the judicial decision.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi expressed his sympathies with Dutt, whose father, late Sunil Dutt, was a Congress MP and a Union Minister.

"I feel that this is a huge setback for the film industry. But the manner in which Sanjay Dutt has led his life in the last few years, he has become a role model for the present generation and for that my best wishes are with him... But I am not commenting on anything against the judiciary, because I believe in the judiciary," he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also echoed Dasmunsi's sentiments.

"The judiciary has given its judgement. We agree that Sanjay Dutt is a good actor. He has his own talent and popularity. But law is the same for everyone in this country," said BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratp Rudy.

"We appreciate and welcome the verdict of the court, which is based on constitution, since the court is the same for everyone. But our good feelings are with him since he is a good actor," he added.

Sanjay Dutt, 48, was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday for possessing an AK-56 rifle and a pistol.

His lawyers have said they would appeal against the sentence, which came after a mammoth trial of those blamed for the blasts that killed 257 people in Mumbai in 1993.

ANI