New Delhi, Jan 8 : Janata Dal- United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav on Tuesday described spiritual guru Asaram Bapu as being "more of a businessman than a saint.

"Asaram has business interests. Nobody should pay attention to him," said Yadav.

Asaram Bapu landed himself in a controversy over his remark that the December 16 Delhi gang rape victim was as guilty as those responsible for the barbaric sexual assault on her.

"Only 5-6 people are not the culprits. The victim daughter is as guilty as her rapists... She should have called the culprits brothers and begged before them to stop... This could have saved her dignity and life. Can one hand clap? I don''''t think so," said Asaram Bapu.

The self-proclaimed godman further said that he is against harsher punishments for the accused, as the law could be misutilised.

"We have often seen such laws are made to be misutilised... Dowry harassment law is the biggest example," he said.

The spiritual guru''''s remark comes at a time when the entire nation is mourning the death of the 23-year-old brave heart who died in a Singapore hospital 13 days later after the heinous crime.

The victim, a physiotherapy student, was brutally raped and assaulted in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012. She died of her injuries on December 29, 2012 in the multi-specialty Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

Her male friend, who was accompanying her that day, was also assaulted by the accused and both of them were thrown out of the bus. (ANI)