BJP MP Varun Gandhi delivers a lecture at NALSAR University of Law

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sultanpur MP Varun Gandhi steered clear of the Jay Shah controversy when asked about it at NALSAR University of Law here on Friday.

Mr. Gandhi was asked his views by a student, following a lecture on political reforms, on the response of the Indian government to a media story that alluded to an alleged connection between the profits made by businesses of Jay Shah, son of BJP national president Amit Shah, and the government. Without naming Jay Shah, the 37-year-old parliamentarian said nobody can be held guilty just by pointing a finger.

“I do not want to speak about people individually. But my broad generalisation is, just because one person has written an article, it does not make somebody guilty. I am not defending or attacking anybody. Everybody needs to have a say. If there is a discrepancy, then that is a different matter,” Mr. Gandhi said in his response.

During his lecture at NALSAR, the Gandhi family scion batted for open-source data platforms to mitigate corruption and encourage electorate participation in governance.

To buttress his statements, Mr. Gandhi cited governance models and functioning of the legislatures in western nations.

Mr. Gandhi drew attention to enhancing women participation in law-making during his lecture. He also pointed out that while the average age of an Indian was decreasing, that of a parliamentarian was going up.

Mr. Gandhi, whose views on some issues appear to counter those of his party, described his seemingly divergent stand on Rohingya issue as ‘humanitarian’. He explained this saying he was for a national policy on asylum.

“About Rohingyas, I have said that keeping national security in check, a case-by-case analysis of them can be done. If found they are not a grave threat to India, as some have suggested, give them asylum. We do not have a national asylum policy in India. So, every case is treated in an ad-hoc manner. This brings political partisanship to the fore,” he said.