The opposition says the BJP froze its accounts before the vote - DW

India The Congress Party said on Thursday that all its bank accounts have been frozen as the country prepares for the world's biggest elections.

Rahul Gandhi, former president of the party, told the Prime Minister Narendra Modi The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was behind the move and said it was stifling democracy.

“There is no democracy in India today.”

The party's calculations were It was partially frozen earlier this month In contact With a tax case dating back to 2017-2018But Gandhi said on Thursday that all party accounts have now been frozen.

Cutting off its financial resources makes the party unable to campaign before the elections The general election is for six weeks Which is scheduled to start on April 19.

“We cannot support our workers, and our candidates and leaders cannot travel by air or train,” the Congress party figure told reporters. “20% of India votes for us and we cannot even pay two rupees for anything. This has been engineered to paralyze us in the elections.

“This is a criminal act against the Congress Party by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister,” he added. “The idea that India is a democracy is a lie. There is no democracy in India today.”

The Indian Congress Party hopes for a return

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An easy win is expected for the BJP

The election will be held in seven phases, with different states voting at different times.

Most opinion polls expect a comfortable victory for Modi's far-right Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress – which leads a number of opposition parties contesting the elections – is She is seen as the main opposition.

While the Congress Party dominated Indian politics for decades after the country gained independence from the British Empire – which it ruled for 54 of its 76 years – its popularity fell to historic lows after Modi's rise to power in 2014.

Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party Hindu nationalism It has seen the world's largest democracy teeter toward authoritarianism amid restrictions on the media and attacks on India's large Muslim minority.

ap/sms (Reuters, Associated Press)