Police detain a supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party during a protest after the party's main leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested. / Photo: Reuters
Kejriwal's arrest, less than a month before India begins voting on April 19, is a setback for AAP and the larger opposition alliance of which he is a key leader.AAP members, including some ministers in the Delhi city government, were stopped by police and taken away in buses as they shouted slogans and sought to march towards the city court where Kejriwal is expected to be produced, TV visuals showed.
"BJP wants to distract people’s attention from their corrupt practices," AAP's Odisha convener Nishikanta Mohapatra told reporters, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party . The Enforcement Directorate is investigating allegations that a liquor policy implemented by the Delhi government in 2022, which ended its control over the sale of liquor, gave undue advantages to private retailers.
The federal government and BJP deny any political interference and say law enforcement agencies are doing their job.