EC lets off Laloo with a warning

8216;8216;Ordinarily, this serious violation8217;8217; should 8216;8216;invite exemplary punishment to the party RJD which he heads as its president, apart from severe condemnation of laloo Prasad8217;8217;, the EC noted.

In his reply to the EC8217;s show-cause notice, Laloo claimed that he had to pay Rs 100 notes to four women in Ebrahimpur village as they had demanded mithai on his becoming Railway Minister and refused to allow his 8216;8216;Garib Chetna Rath8217;8217; pass.

Not quite buying the line, the Commission noted: 8216;8216;Distribution of mithai when he became the Union minister in May 2004 could have been construed as customary sharing of his happiness with others. But giving money after nearly seven months of his assumption of office in the Union Council of Ministers and that too when the election to the Bihar Assembly is so imminently close8230;cannot but have only one inference that the same was for inducing the voters to vote for his party8230;8217;8217;

However, Laloo8217;s 8216;8216;solemn assurance8217;8217; that he and his party would abide by the model code of conduct in letter and spirit seemed to have softened the EC8217;s resolve to take 8216;8216;exemplary action8217;8217;.

The order said, 8216;8216;In view of these solemn assurances given by Laloo Prasad, the Commission is inclined to take a lenient view of the matter.8217;8217;