By Japan K Pathak, Ahmedabad, 23 March 2013

It was the end of the month of November last year when All India Congress Committee (AICC) finalized and announced a list of star campaigners for Gujarat elections. Sanjay Dutt was only active Bolywood person mentioned in that list.

For many, it was a matter of surprise, because Gujarat elections were about ‘Modi or not Modi’, and Sanjay Dutt had praised Narendra Modi publicly at least on two occasions in past.

Sanjay Dutt had first praised Narendra Modi’s leadership in a TV programme Aap Ki Adalat, and later he had praised Modi after visiting him at his Gandhinagar office along with his NRI-Gujarati friend for proposed film city project.

It was interesting therefore to find Sanjay Dutt’s name in Gujarat Congress’s star campaigners list. As a journalist I made an article in advance about Sanjay Dutt’s Congress campaign in Gujarat, titling: Modi’s fan, Congress’s star campaigner.

The article however never published, because Dutt didn’t appear for campaign at all! The title however was used later in another article about Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon who had praised Modi in past publicly, but was seen campaigning for Congress candidates during the Gujarat elections.

Back to Sanjay Dutt, his one of the movies on floor was about Gujarat’s yesteryear gangster late Sarman Munja. In fact Sanjay was playing role of Sarman Munja in this film. Sarman Munja was from Porbandar, and he was enjoying good influence among Mahers – a community that has majority of voters there. So finding Sanjay Dutt in a list of Congress party’s star campaigners, Porbandar candidate, Maher leader and Gujarat Congress President Arjun Modhwadia was happy. He tried his best to rope in Sanjay Dutt for poll campaign on Porbandar assembly seat. But Sanjay didn’t turn up. Instead he arranged his sister and Congress MP Priya Dutt for Modhwadia’s campaign.

Though he was mentioned as one of the star campaigners in the list, Sanjay Dutt didn’t come to Gujarat at all during the Gujarat elections season, and he did not oblige for a single campaign rally or public meeting. It was not the case that Sanjay was allergic to political campaign. He had done political campaign in past in other states. But he avoided Gujarat campaign, only due to his respect for Mr. Modi and his leadership. Sanjay Dutt had conveyed this feeling to those who were coordinating between him and the party.

Gujarat Congress had to work with B and C grade actor, actresses like Asrani, Preeti Jhangiani and others.

Raveena Tandon, another Bollywood actress who had praised Narendra Modi in past publicly, campaigned for Congress candidates in Vadodara city in Gujarat. However all candidates for whom she campaigned lost the polls.