Priya Dutt: Agreed to contest as each seat is key

Former Congress MP Priya Dutt was written off by many following her defeat in the 2014 elections from Mumbai NorthCentral constituency and her subsequent hibernation After she announced her retirement from electoral politics other contenders had even tried to project themselves as Dutts replacement from the segment that she and her father the late Sunil Dutt had represented for the Congress for 25 yearsThe situation has however turned quickly over the last month and she is back with a bang thanks to her supporters and party bosses who thought she alone could fit the bill midday spoke to the leader about her return politics hopes and dilemmasPlanning her campaign from an office which runs the nonprofit Nargis Dutt Foundation Dutt told midday that she wasnt actually a big political animal who knew the political plots She said she didnt possess a nuisance value that could harm her contemporary rank in the Congress or for that matter the leaders in other parties while also sharing her motherpolitician dilemma With a commitment to the Congress Dutt said that her work must have convinced the leadership to place her in the race for the muchcoveted seat currently represented by BJPs firsttime MP Poonam MahajanExcerpts from our conversation with DuttHibernation retirement and comebackI was blank after losing the 2014 elections I wanted to take my life forward though And then my family came into the picture I realised how time had flown when I started spending time with my two sons 13 and 11 year olds who were born during my previous Lok Sabha tenures As an MP I couldnt give the kids much time and then I was suddenly around them The long break allowed me to focus on them because I was free from everythingI looked after their schooling We holidayed and travelled together I started enjoying it and felt that the kids would soon be on their own My plan to retire from electoral politics was for personal reasons I knew in advance the partys plan of relieving me of the national secretarys post because I had requested for discontinuation There was nothing to be upset aboutAnd then all of a sudden this responsibility was given to me yet again Her candidature became imminent when she welcomed party president Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai on March 1 There so much pressure from my supporters and the party leaders I was quite adamant but since it was a matter of contesting against the communal forces I agreed Im already done with the first round of campaign Priya was one of the two Mumbai candidates declared in the first week of March for the April 29 pollingPriya Dutt and her father late Sunil Dutt have represented the Congress from Mumbai NorthCentral for a total of 25 yearsAllegation that shewasnt activeIts not true I attended party events for three years after 2014 Im not a someone who does politics all the time I dont trouble party colleagues and opponents just for the sake of politics Im more into sociomedical work I kept myself busy with Nargis Dutt Foundation which connects me with the people in Mumbai and beyond We work in cancer treatment general healthcare and education for underprivileged without seeking publicity or votes Our mobile clinics are very popular Im passionate about extending the foundations outreach to the needy even in places like PalgharThane and other states where I dont have political stakes People still come to me because I havent lost touch with themMotherpolitician dilemmaI know my life is about to change again I thought If I had given some time to my own children why not give some more time to other children as well The decision to contest was taken after giving it deep thought I would be doing it for ensuring a good future of all children who will change India from what it is today By the grace of my supporters and party workers I have started reaching out to 16 lakh plus voters that include a cross section of societyHopesThis election will be different from the previous one The Congresss traditional voters that had diverted to some extent to other parties then would now return to us because more people are aware that the fight is between the Congress and BJP Other parties that want to split secular votes would have their credibility hit because its an open secret that they would directly benefit the BJP Im sad that these parties SP BSP AIMIM and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi have no concern for the countryHer poll plankThe BJP hasnt delivered on the national as well as local level Its okay if one cannot fulfill promises but spreading blatant lies about everything has been BJPs primary job all these years I will tell my voters about the jumlas and BJPs divisive policies The work that started five years ago is still incomplete in the NorthCentral constituency Bandra is where Mumbais civil society is very active but it wasnt given a hearing by the CM Citizen groups had convinced previous governments to build an underground metro but the proposal was scrapped without giving it any hearing Rehabilitation of slums is a major issue and it can be solved only by adopting a human face approach The current government is bulldozing everything that comes in its way Congress also built bigticket projects but considered all human angles that the stakeholders especially the projectaffected people and citizen groups put forth I will also raise the demand for uniform electricity tariff and property tax in the city and suburbs2005 2009Years Dutt won a Lok Sabha seat from Mumbai North CentralCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates