By Ajitesh MridulAfter Mr.Narendra Modi's attempt to click a selfie with the louts...errm...I mean lotus and a presser with the party symbol in his hand, the election commission decided to tackle this breach of code of conduct legally and filed a FIR against him. Mr. Modi reacted to this by mocking the EC and daring them to file another complaint against him. He made his pitch very clear to his supporters that such actions from revered institutions like the EC doesn't deter his spirits. He is going to campaign as per his wish and if that means breaking a rule or two, he doesn't really care.The popular narrative from his supporters were questions like, “Come on, will you really arrest him for showing a lotus in a press conference?" or rhetoric like "Oh really, FIR for showing his finger?Are you sure it wasn't the index finger?" or some unbelievable ones like, “Why did Manmohan wave after voting? Isn’t that his party's symbol?" Are these the questions we should be asking? Will Modi's White Blood Cells army react similarly if the man broke a traffic rule? Isn't everyone in this country bound by certain laws and should abide by it? And if we break a law,isn't it the duty of the enforcers to make sure that we don't get away with it? Should we be surprised by this nonchalance and apathy for our rule books by someone who looks so desperate to become the Prime Minister of this country? Well, if history is to be believed, the answer is an obvious NO. Here is what Mr. Modi said about JM Lyngdoh,the then Election Commissioner of India,when he was trying to ensure fair elections in Gujarat in 2002. “Some journalists asked me recently, ''Has James Michael Lyngdoh come from Italy?'' I said I don't have his janam patri, I will have to ask Rajiv Gandhi. Then the journalists said, ''Do they meet in church?''. I replied, ''Maybe they do. ‘It is for the five crore Gujaratis to decide whether I should stay or I should be removed. No aalia, valia and jamalia from the Delhi footpath will decide and that is why we have gone to the janata ki adalat." Quote from Outlook article- September 2002- 'Some journalists asked me recently, ''Has James Michael Lyngdoh come from Italy?''Chilling, right? Someone's religion is mocked, his integrity is questioned, just because he is doing his duty. Mr. Modi's recent statements are a reflection from his past, only difference being that Mr. VS Sampath is not from a minority community and taking a jibe at his religion is not something Mr. Modi would want to do right now. The language used by the Preacher of Gujarat is also milder than his 2002 version because he is now a secular liberal.Should the institutions like Election Commission or Supreme Court be respected?I leave it for the reader to decide. Meanwhile, there was news floating around that Mr. Azam Khan threatened the Election Commission and asked them not to behave like God. Well, we can only thank our stars that Mr. Azam Khan is not the PM candidate of any political party. The opinions expressed in this articles are the personal opinions of the author. The News Minute is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of any information in this article. The information, facts or opinions appearing in this article do not reflect the views of The News Minute and The News Minute does not assume any liability on the same.