Today in Politics: Can the Opposition’s INDIA bloc finally come together to rally behind Kejriwal’s arrest?

Protests against the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will continue on Saturday.

At a press conference in Delhi on Friday, AAP’s Delhi convenor Gopal Rai said that the entirety of the AAP cadre — MLAs, councillors, and office-bearers — will gather at the Shaheedi Park in Delhi on Saturday to “take a pledge to save democracy”. Rai noted the importance of the day, marking the martyrdom of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.

An important detail at this meeting — It will also have representatives of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc. While the bloc has struggled to iron out differences in terms of seat-sharing and election-related preparation, often speaking in different voices, they have been united in their criticism of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s arrest of Kejriwal. They see it as an example of the BJP’s government’s overreach.

On Friday, leaders of the INDIA bloc approached the EC and alleged that the Kejriwal’s arrest in the Delhi excise policy case was the “blatant and audacious misuse” of Central agencies by the Government. They said that it had resulted in the “erosion of the level playing field” and asked the poll body to put in place a mechanism to ensure that raids, investigations and arrests during the campaign period are first vetted and approved by the EC or a committee set up under it.

The Congress, which had been critical of the Kejriwal government over the Delhi excise policy and had earlier demanded action, also held protests in the national capital against his arrest. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to Kejriwal’s wife Sunita over phone.

“The entire nation is witness to the unrelenting,