EC lets off Modi, Sonia; but gives them an earful

MORALLY SPEAKING: The EC will communicate its decision to Sonia (L) and Modi later in the day.

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New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday let off both Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for their provocative statements during the election campaign, but expressed displeasure over their conduct.

The three-member Commission, which met to consider the replies to the notices sent to them, also granted similar relief to Congress leader Digvijay Singh.

The EC will formally communicate its decision to Sonia, Modi and Singh sometime later. However, the panel is believed to have decided against censuring the three.

The EC made it clear that it was unhappy with Modi's alleged justification of encounter killing of Sohrabuddin and Sonia Gandhi's 'merchant of death' remarks against the Gujarat state machinery, including the Chief Minister.

The poll panel had earlier served a notice on the Congress high command over her controversial speech, in which she had allegedly said: "Those running the Gujarat government are liars, betrayers and merchants of fear and death."

The EC said it had viewed the video recording of the speech and was prima facie of the view that the statement made in the speech amounted to violation of provisions of model code of conduct.

The Congress had, however, rejected the contention that she had violated the model code of conduct. In her reply to the EC notice, Gandhi is believed to have said that she did name anyone in particular when she made her remarks "merchants of death". But in her reply she also did not specifically exclude Modi from the implications of her statement.

Modi, on the other hand, has been put on notice over his controversial statement on the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter. During an election rally on Dec 4, Modi had justified the encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh.

In his reply to the EC notice, Modi had denied defending the fake encounter killing and said his remarks in a public meeting on the issue were provoked by Gandhi's attack on him.