Indian opposition alliance holds rally in New Delhi ahead of general elections

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) – Ahead of general elections slated for next month, India’s opposition bloc held a rally in the national capital New Delhi on Sunday.

The Loktantra Bachao (Save Democracy) rally held at the capital's iconic Ramlila ground by the opposition bloc formed last year with the acronym INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) to take on the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party followed the arrest last week of New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Weeks ahead of general elections in India, Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

After the arrest of Kejriwal, who is a critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Aam Aadmi Party has been busy protesting.

Earlier Hemant Soren, the chief minister of the eastern state of Jharkhand, was arrested in January

Top bloc leaders, including from India's main opposition Indian National Congress party and opposition leaders from several states, took part in the rally.

“Mr. Modi, you cannot take the people of India for granted. I condemn the arrest of Mr. Arvind (Kejriwal), the elected chief minister in Delhi. Several other leaders have been arrested. The government is using the Enforcement Directorate, income tax, and all central agencies to target the opposition parties,” D. Raja, general secretary of the Communist Party of India, said in his address to the gathering.

“Today is the third rally and I want to tell wherever we are going, we are getting support from the people. We have come together to save the constitution,” said Tejashwi Yadav, another top opposition leader from Bihar state, who accused the ruling party of being “egoistical.”

He said the biggest problems the country faces now are inflation and unemployment.

“We will fight this battle and win,” he said.

Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal also attended the rally and read out a message from her husband, who is in custody of the Enforcement Directorate.

- ‘Hide corruption’ rally, says BJP

Ahead of the opposition's rally on Sunday, the ruling party Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the opposition bloc, saying the rally is not to save democracy but rather to "save a family" and "hide corruption.”

Indian marathon general elections will be held in seven phases starting from April 19 to elect lawmakers in the country's lower house of Parliament, the Lok Sabha.

India's main opposition party this week said the tax department is trying to financially cripple the party through tax notices ahead of the general elections.