India arrests Delhi chief minister as crackdown on opposition spreads

Since 2022, Kejriwal and his allies have been accused by the BJP of promoting liquor licenses and receiving kickbacks from distributors within the capital. India’s Enforcement Directorate, which investigates cash laundering, has alleged it has proof that Kejriwal’s celebration acquired thousands and thousands of {dollars} from a liquor group.

Whereas Kejriwal’s function and culpability within the affair stays unclear — Kejriwal has denied wrongdoing — opposition events in latest months have more and more accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP of unfairly utilizing federal investigative businesses to systematically strain political rivals — or jail them outright forward of essential nationwide elections that start April 19. Apart from Kejriwal, three different leaders in his celebration, seen as a potent future challenger to the BJP in nationwide politics, have been jailed previously yr within the liquor case.

The Indian Nationwide Congress, one other opposition celebration, has equally accused the BJP of utilizing tax businesses to cripple its operations forward of upcoming elections. On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi, a Congress chief, informed a information convention that his celebration has not been in a position to entry any funds for the previous month, or “even purchase a rail ticket,” as a result of its financial institution accounts have been frozen by the federal government as a part of a years-old tax case.

After information of Kejriwal’s arrest broke, Gandhi condemned the federal government’s transfer as autocratic.

Kejriwal’s AAP mentioned late Thursday that it will problem his arrest within the Supreme Courtroom as his supporters flocked to his Delhi residence, blocked roads and sometimes tussled with police. Talking to tv reporters exterior Kejriwal’s house, his celebration colleagues mentioned the Enforcement Directorate’s investigation was a ploy by Modi to forestall Kejriwal from campaigning within the upcoming election.

“It’s clear to everybody who’s afraid of a loss within the upcoming election,” AAP official Somnath Bharti informed reporters. “Is that this free and honest? Opposition leaders are being imprisoned; financial institution accounts of opposition events are being frozen.”

BJP officers, in the meantime, doubled down on their accusations of Kejriwal’s alleged corruption and referred to as the arrest justified.

Whereas the BJP is considered as the most well-liked celebration in India and Modi is extensively anticipated to win a 3rd time period within the upcoming polls, his Hindu nationalist celebration’s monopoly over the state equipment and its outsize dominance in marketing campaign financing have raised intense public debate in regards to the equity and vigor of Indian elections.

This month, a landmark Indian Supreme Courtroom judgment pressured the federal government to disclose detailed information about an opaque marketing campaign financing scheme that allowed Indian firms to provide limitless and nameless marketing campaign contributions. The info confirmed that the BJP had acquired greater than half of the roughly $2 billion in donations made by firms since 2018 — or greater than what 20 different events mixed acquired — main some within the opposition to cry foul.

Anant Gupta contributed to this report.