Opposition slams Modi rival's arrest as pre-election crackdown

Ruling BJP defends government’s actions as necessary to root out corruption

NEW DELHI India's opposition parties slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for arresting a key leader just weeks before India holds a general election, saying the move was a "vindictive misuse of central agencies" and an attempt to stifle them.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21. He was questioned for more than two hours, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity since the information was not yet public.

Mr Kejriwal was escorted into a courtroom in the capital New Delhi by officers from the ED, India's main financial crimes agency, to petition for bail while the case proceeds.

His legal team had originally sought to challenge the legality of his detention in the Supreme Court but Mr Shadan Farasat, a lawyer for Mr Kejriwal, told AFP that they would instead contest his remand in a lower court.

Delhi is controlled by Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in India's federal government system.

Hundreds of supporters from Mr Kejriwal's AAP took to the streets on March 22 to condemn the leader's arrest, with police breaking up one crowd of protesters who attempted to block a busy traffic intersection.

Small rallies in support of Mr Kejriwal were held in several other cities around India.

Mr Kejriwal, 55, is a key member of an opposition alliance challenging Mr Modi's bid for a third straight term in office in a nationwide election that kicks off in April.