Notwithstanding gangster Abu Salem's alleged statement to the Central Bureau of Investigation that he had 'met Sanjay Dutt', the actor on Monday continued to campaign for sister Priya Dutt, contesting the Lok Sabha by-poll scheduled for November 19.
The by-poll for the Mumbai northwest seat was necessitated by the death of her father Sunil Dutt.
Sanjay Dutt made a cameo appearance at Priya Dutt's election rally at Raghvendra Mandir, Oshiwara, Mumbai.
Dressed in a white sweatshirt and blue jeans, the actor took to the dais at 2115 IST with the words, "Main neta nahin hoon, abhineta hoon. Isiliye bhashan dena nahin aata, dialogue bolna aata hai. Dialogue bolu kya?" (I am not a politician, I'm an actor. Hence, I can't give you a speech, I can quote you dialogues. Shall I?)
This had the 700-strong largely north Indian Muslim crowd and the Congress leaders on the dais in splits.
Sanjay Dutt went on the say that his sister would work towards the upliftment of the poor -- a dream left unfinished by his father.
He then asked the crowd whether they had watched his film Munnabhai MBBS. The crowd screamed back 'yes'.
"Bole toh, apun ka behen ko, yani ki Priya Dutt ko, hi vote deneka. Kisko?" he asked. (You must vote for my sister Priya Dutt. For whom?)
"Priya Dutt," the crowd roared.
Sanjay Dutt's appearance at his sister's election rallies is no doubt a great crowd puller. Sympathy, due to her father's death, was also very much in the air.
And the Congress leaders who spoke on the occasion also exploited it to the hilt.
However, it remains to be seen whether, Sanjay Dutt's appearance at his sister's rallies is going to work in her favour.
Post-Abu Salem's extradition to India, his name has been cropping up in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case.
The ensuing days will show whether the opposition is going to make an issue out of this or not.
