Opposition parties in India united to protest on Sunday, led by a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the wife of senior Indian politician Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal’s wife raised her voice while addressing a gathering of supporters protesting against her husband being accused of corruption.
Sunita Kejriwal, wife of jailed New Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, addressed a large rally in Delhi attended by thousands of people just weeks before the upcoming general elections.
Several big politicians who are challenging the Narendra Modi government together in the elections that started in April were also present on the occasion. Sunita Kejriwal read out the message sent by her jailed husband.
Sunita Kejriwal in her first major political speech said: ‘People of India stand with Arvind Kejriwal. They cannot be kept in jail forever.’
Sunita Kejriwal mentioned her husband’s message from jail and said, ‘I am not asking you for votes. I am not asking you to help defeat someone in the elections. I am only asking 140 crore Indian citizens to help take this country forward.’
Sunita’s husband, who heads the Aam Aadmi Party, has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, a central government-controlled anti-crime agency, along with his top associates.
The Delhi leader was arrested on charges that his party and state ministers took INR 1 billion (£9.5 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago.
Kejriwal is the first Chief Minister to be arrested while in office. The issue was seen as largely politically motivated, with the US State Department and Germany reacting.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Wednesday that the US is closely monitoring Kejriwal’s arrest and the crackdown on opposition parties in India.
Last week, the German Foreign Ministry said it hoped that Kejriwal would have a fair and impartial trial because India is a democratic country.
In the name of ‘Save Democracy’, the rally was organized by a joint opposition alliance of more than 20 parties called ‘India’. The alliance is challenging Modi in the upcoming general elections starting on April 19.
All opinion polls point to a clear victory for Modi to become prime minister for a third term, but the rally is being seen as a way for opposition leaders to demonstrate their influence over the people.
Hemant Soren, another former chief minister of the opposition party Congress, is also in jail. Referring to the arrests, Rahul Gandhi, who is often seen as Modi’s main challenger, called them ‘match-fixing’ as the game of cricket calls it before the elections.
Addressing the rally, he said that ‘two players of our team were arrested before the match.’
He added: ‘These elections, in which Narendra Modi chose umpires, his slogan of 400 seats fixed on EVMs, is not possible without pressuring the media and social media.’
Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party called for a nationwide protest on Friday with top politicians of the party arriving in the capital.
Delhi Police detained people belonging to the party, including ministers and cabinet members, during the protest.
Kejriwal’s arrest raised fears of a constitutional crisis in India as Delhi is still ruled by a chief minister. Meanwhile, the opposition has claimed that ‘undeclared emergency’ is in force in Anda.
Critics of the Modi government have accused the Hindu nationalist government of using law enforcement agencies against political rivals to intimidate and weaken them ahead of elections.
Several politicians faced legal difficulties. Some politicians have been arrested and some have been convicted.
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Hours before Kejriwal’s arrest on March 21, India’s main opposition Congress also held a press conference in which it said the tax department had frozen his bank accounts ahead of the general elections.
BJP refuses to target the opposition. It says law enforcement agencies are working independently.
Sunita Kejriwal also recited her husband’s promise of ‘six promises’ for votes. These promises range from free electricity for the poor, which was the main message of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi campaign that brought Kejriwal to power, to the establishment of schools and local clinics.
Sunita Kejriwal also promised ‘minimum support price’ for farmers, a key issue in India’s second wave of farmers’ protests, and statehood for Delhi.
He further said that ‘we will fulfill these promises in five years.’
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2024-10-03 21:57:22
