The registration of an FIR may unnerve an ordinary citizen, but not Narendra Modi, the BJP strong man whose single-minded goal in life seems to be to somehow occupy the Prime Minister’s chair. The pursuit of ambition sometimes can drive one to do things one may regret later.

Right now Modi sees no wrong in violating provisions of the Representation of the People’s Act. The BJP too blindly defends anything that Modi says or does. The Election Commission has visual evidence of Modi’s law-breaking act of addressing a press conference and soliciting votes for his party and displaying an image of lotus, the BJP symbol. On the EC’s order the Gujarat police registered two FIRs against Modi and certain TV channels that telecast the event.

On April 24 Modi filed his nomination papers in Varanasi after leading a massive procession which was also telecast live by TV channels regardless of the fact that voters could be influenced since polling was being held in parts of India on that day. BJP opponents had demanded the registration of an FIR then too. Modi got away then and makes light of the latest offence punishable with up to two years’ jail.

Everyone makes a mistake but not everyone defies or makes fun of the authority that points to the wrongdoing. Here the authority is none other than the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body. Modi ridiculed it when he said: “One can understand if someone points a knife, a pistol or a gun. But do you know why an FIR was registered against me? Because I showed a lotus to people”. Obviously, he has no fear of the law and believes the lotus is a sacrosanct emblem.