The purpose was to arrest Arvind Kejriwal just before the Lok Sabha elections and break the INDIA alliance (or the opposition coalition),” AAP leader Dilip Pandey told the media. “What PM (Narendra Modi) is doing is not good for the country,” Kejriwal said while being brought to Delhi Rouse Avenue Court, in a video that has been shared by AAP on social media platform X. Kejriwal is one of the leading figures in the Indian opposition, and is accused of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) from alcohol contractors in exchange for implementing a policy that would end government control over alcohol sales in the capital. Despite his arrest, Kejriwal continues to rule thanks to an order from the same court, which last week rejected a petition calling for his removal.
His arrest was widely criticized by the opposition, which has accused the Modi government of employing government agencies against its critics, especially in the run-up to the general elections in the country. Kejriwal’s arrest prompted statements expressing concern from countries such as Germany and the United States. Major opposition leaders in India organized a march in New Delhi on Sunday to protest the arrest of Kejriwal and denounce a series of legal or financial actions against them by the government, including the freezing of the bank accounts of the Congress party.
