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NEW DELHI (AP) \u2014 Thousands of people on Sunday attended a rally by an alliance of India’s opposition parties<\/a> that criticized the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi<\/a> of stifling opponents and undermining democratic institutions ahead of a national election<\/a> next month.<\/p>\n The \u201cSave Democracy\u201d rally was the first major public demonstration by the opposition bloc INDIA against the arrest of New Delhi\u2019s top elected official and opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal<\/a><\/span><\/span> on March 21.<\/p>\n Kejriwal was arrested<\/a> by the federal Enforcement Directorate, which is controlled by Modi\u2019s government, on charges that his party and state ministers had accepted 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago. The Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man\u2019s Party, denied the accusations and has said Kejriwal would remain as New Delhi\u2019s chief minister while the court decides on the next step.<\/p>\n \u201cThis battle is to safeguard the nation, democracy, constitution, future of the nation, youth, farmers and women. This battle is for justice and truth,\u201d Deepender Singh Hooda, a lawmaker of the opposition Congress party, told reporters at the rally.<\/p>\n Kejriwal’s arrest is seen as a setback for the opposition bloc<\/a> that is the main challenger to Modi\u2019s Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, in the elections to be held over six weeks starting April 19. <\/a><\/p>\n Opposition leaders have criticized Kejriwal’s arrest as undemocratic and accused the BJP of using the federal agency to undermine them, pointing to a series of arrests and corruption investigations against key opposition figures.<\/p>\n The BJP denies targeting the opposition and says law enforcement agencies act independently.<\/p>\n \u201cNarendra Modi wants to strangle democracy and take away the option from the people to choose the government of their choice,\u201d opposition leader Rahul Gandhi from the Congress party, who took part in Sunday\u2019s rally, wrote on X.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n