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 occasion acquired thousands and thousands of {dollars} from a liquor group.

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

The Indian National Congress, one other opposition occasion, has equally accused the BJP of utilizing tax companies to cripple its operations forward of upcoming elections. On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi, a Congress chief, instructed a information convention that his occasion has not been capable of entry any funds for the previous month, or “even buy 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 Court as his supporters flocked to his Delhi residence, blocked roads and sometimes tussled with police. Speaking to tv reporters exterior Kejriwal’s house, his occasion colleagues mentioned the Enforcement Directorate’s investigation was a ploy by Modi to stop Kejriwal from campaigning within the upcoming election.

“It is clear to everyone who is afraid of a loss in the upcoming election,” AAP official Somnath Bharti instructed reporters. “Is this free and fair? Opposition leaders are being imprisoned; bank accounts of opposition parties are being frozen.”

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

While the BJP is considered as the preferred occasion in India and Modi is broadly anticipated to win a 3rd time period within the upcoming polls, his Hindu nationalist occasion’s monopoly over the state equipment and its outsize dominance in marketing campaign financing have raised intense public debate concerning the equity and vigor of Indian elections.

This month, a landmark Indian Supreme Court judgment pressured the federal government to disclose detailed information about an opaque marketing campaign financing scheme that allowed Indian corporations to present limitless and nameless marketing campaign contributions. The knowledge confirmed that the BJP had acquired greater than half of the roughly $2 billion in donations made by corporations 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.