Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who was released from jail in February, made an appearance at a Bharatiya Janata Party event on Sunday, surprising some in political circles.
He was the chief guest at a Maharashtra Day function organised by city BJP president Ashish Shelar and another leader, Mohit Khamboj, in Malad.
Several BJP members were critical of the repeated paroles and leaves from prison granted to Dutt when he was serving the remainder of his five-year sentence in Yerawada Central Jail, Pune.
He was convicted for possession of an AK-56 army assault rifle during the 1992-1993 Mumbai riots.
Wearing a bright orange Maharashtrian pagdi (headdress) and speaking in his trademark, flamboyant rowdy style, Dutt urged the gathering to increase the BJP tally in Maharashtra.
He also posed for photos with BJP leaders and workers jostling for selfies.
His presence at the event was surprising to many in Congress circles, especially since his sister Priya Dutt, former MP, is a staunch Congress loyalists — as were his parents, late union minister Sunil Dutt and MP Nargis Dutt.
