Thousands attend a rally in India’s capital to challenge Prime Minister Modi ahead of elections

NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of people have attended a rally by an alliance of India’s opposition parties that criticized the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of stifling opponents and undermining democratic institutions ahead of a national election next month. The “Save Democracy” rally on Sunday is the first major public demonstration by the opposition bloc INDIA against the arrest of New Delhi’s top elected official and opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal on March 21. Kejriwal was arrested by the federal Enforcement Directorate, which is controlled by Modi’s government, on charges that his party and state ministers had accepted bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago. The Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, denies the accusations.