Pilibhit MP and BJP national secretary Varun Gandhi yesterday became the first mainstream politician to reach out a hand of sympathy and a measure of respect towards Irom Sharmila, the crusader from Manipur.

In a tweet posted on his account yesterday, Rahul Gandhi’s cousin said, “The tragedy of Irom Sharmila’s 11-year-long fast being ignored by the Centre reflects the greater tragedy of the national neglect of the Northeast.”

Varun proposed that the Centre should send a parliamentary delegation to call on Sharmila in Imphal. “I would like to be part of a parliamentary delegation that shows due respect to Sharmila’s struggle by calling upon her, to understand the issue and re-examine public solutions.”

Sharmila has been fasting since 2000 demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.

Varun’s suggestion is apparently a personal one, because in the past, the BJP had said it was against abrogation of the act.

In another tweet, Varun, who is positioning himself as the BJP’s civil society face, lamented that the probe into RTI activist Shehla Masood’s murder in Bhopal had hit a wall. “One month after, no leads, no motives, no arrests. Of what use is a CBI probe? No justice for RTI activists in life or death.”

In response to a comment, he said he agreed that the police’s role in RTI murder cases and particularly Shehla’s had been “disappointing, even suspicious”. The police, in this instance, happen to be from Madhya Pradesh, a BJP-ruled state.