Thaindian News

Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) Denying any rift in the family, Congress MP Priya Dutt Wednesday said that although she was “disappointed” that her film star brother Sanjay Dutt had chosen to contest the Lok Sabha elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket, she would always support him.”There is a disappointment that Sanjay has joined the Samajwadi Party. But If he wants to serve people through politics its fantastic,” Priya told reporters here.

“Neither Sanjay nor Manyata have confirmed that he is contesting the election. Just like their marriage, I came to know about it through the media. We haven’t had any discussion on this in the family but there is no family feud. If the need arises, we as a family will support Sanjay,” she said.

“For us, maintaining our parents’ name is very important. My father or my mother shouldn’t be dragged into this.”

To say that the Congress had been unjust to Sanjay and forced him to opt for the Samajwadi Party was incorrect, Priya said.

“We have always been loyal to the Congress party, we have been a Congress family and if needed our party could have tried to give Sanjay an opportunity to contest elections at an appropriate time,” said Priya, who is the Congress MP from the Mumbai North-West constituency.

“It is his choice whether to contest elections or not and from which party. We are individuals in our family, we take our own decisions individually and take responsibility for it. I am not the kind of person who will wash dirty linen in public,” she added.

Just a day after the Samajwadi Party declared its plans to pit its state party chief Abu Asim Azmi from the Mumbai North-West constituency, Priya was Wednesday quoted as saying by a newspaper that her brother had been “manipulated” into contesting the election on a Samajwadi Party ticket by his wife Manyata.

“My father would never have associated with the Samajwadi Party. For the first time since he died I am thankful he is no longer alive to see this ignominy,” Priya had reportedly said in the interview.