HUNDREDS gathered in the Indian capital New Delhi today against the arrest of an opposition politician as part of what they say is a crackdown by the government before national elections.

Arvind Kejriwal of the Common People’s Party (AAP) was arrested on Thursday night by the federal Enforcement Directorate, which is controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The agency accused his party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees (£9.5 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago, which the party has denied.

India will hold a general election beginning on April 19, and opposition parties have accused the government of misusing its powers to harass and weaken its political opponents to gain an unfair advantage in the polls.

They point to a spree of raids, arrests and corruption investigations against key opposition figures.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said during today’s protest: “This is dictatorship. All this is done to win the national polls.”