Thousands attend rally to challenge Indian PM ahead of election

Supporters of various opposition parties shouted anti-government slogans during the ‘Save Democracy’ rally in New Delhi (Manish Swarup/AP)

Thousands of people have attended a rally organised by an alliance of India’s opposition parties that accused 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 was 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.