India's opposition alliance is alleging political vendetta
With less than two weeks to go before India’s election begins, Arvind Kejriwal, one of the country’s most prominent opposition leaders, would usually be out on the campaign trail. Instead, he is detained in a 14ft by 8ft cell in Delhi’s Tihar jail.
Kejriwal, serving as Delhi's chief minister since 2015, is not alone in Tihar's confines. His former deputy, Manish Sisodia, has been detained for over a year, while the former health minister, Satyendar Jain, has been held since May 2022. Recently, another AAP minister, Sanjay Singh, secured bail from the Supreme Court after six months in custody.
The arrests, all tied to money-laundering charges, have drawn sharp condemnation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), branding them as politically motivated and orchestrated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to undermine the opposition ahead of the elections. With voting scheduled to begin on April 19, the BJP and AAP are in direct contention for seats, particularly in Delhi.
Atishi Singh, an AAP minister, remarked, 'The BJP hoped that AAP would disintegrate after Arvind Kejriwal's arrest because the entire senior leadership is behind bars.'
Analysts anticipate a third term victory for Premier Narendra Modi, with the BJP eyeing a more substantial majority than in 2019. However, the recent surge in opposition crackdowns has raised concerns among analysts and adversaries, warning of potentially the most one-sided election in Indian history.
In the same period as Kejriwal's arrest, Congress, India's primary opposition party, alleged that the central tax authority froze millions in its accounts, severely hampering its campaigning capabilities. Congress leaders accused the BJP government of employing 'tax terrorism' to incapacitate the party before the polls.
Further, a money laundering investigation targeted opposition MP Mahua Moitra, a vocal critic of Modi. Kejriwal, Sisodia, Jain, and Moitra have all refuted the accusations, labeling them as politically motivated.
While numerous cases against opposition MPs and leaders have emerged since the BJP assumed power in 2014, the recent escalation has sparked concerns about the fairness and transparency of the upcoming election. Western nations, often cautious in their dealings with India, have expressed apprehension, with the US envoy advocating for a "fair, transparent" electoral process for the incarcerated leaders.
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