News
Indian Opposition Unites Against Arrest of Leader Before Election
(CTN News) – Indian opposition groups came together on Sunday to protest the arrest of a senior leader only weeks before a national election, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party of manipulating the poll and pestering them with massive tax demands.
“Narendra Modi is trying match-fixing in this election,” Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi said at a rally in New Delhi, while the crowd screamed “Shame!”
Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister and leader of the “INDIA” opposition bloc, was arrested on March 21 for alleged corruption in granting liquor licenses. The arrest comes less than a month before the general election, which is expected to solidify Modi’s mandate for a rare third term.
Allegations of Political Interference Mount as Election Approaches
Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party claims the case is contrived and politically motivated. Modi’s government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny political meddling and insist that law enforcement authorities are performing their jobs.
“If the BJP wins this match-fixing election and changes the constitution, it will light the country on fire,” claimed Gandhi, whose party has controlled India for more than two-thirds of the time since independence in 1947 but has struggled since Modi took power a decade ago.
“This is not any regular election. This election is about saving the country and upholding our constitution.”
Opposition leaders, including regional party chiefs, joined Gandhi on stage at Ramlila Maidan after resolving divisions over which party will contest which seats.
Modi stated that his campaign against corruption has alarmed the opposition and that this election is a battle between his party and its supporters, who want to eliminate the corrupt, and the opposition, which wants to preserve the corrupt.
“Big corrupt people are behind bars, and even the Supreme Court is not granting them bail,” Modi said at a rally to kick off his election campaign on Sunday at Uttar Pradesh, the populous northern state.
Congress accuses India’s financial crime-fighting agency of “tax terrorism” by imposing high tax demands and seizing bank accounts, claiming attempts to financially cripple the party.
Critics claim Modi and his party have used investigative agencies and tax authorities to eliminate political opponents and limit the chances of a fair election, something the BJP rejects.
“This fascism will not work in India,” Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, said at the event. “We will fight and we will win.”
