Against the backdrop of the arrest of Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Delhi witnessed a show of strength by the leaders of the Opposition, coming together to "Save Democracy in India."

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Amidst the efforts  of BJP's spin doctors to reinforce the party's image by projecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi administration's "zero tolerance" stance against corruption,  the arrest of Kejriwal and the relentless pursuit of other opposition leaders by the Enforcement Directorate has developed into a smoking gun, with every indication it could backfire on the government.

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Clearly, in a move to blunt the impact of the Opposition's "Maharally" at Ramlila Ground in New Delhi, the Prime Minister held another public rally at Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

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That Kejriwal's arrest has eventually united the entire Opposition was evident by the presence of the leaders at the Ramlila Ground on Sunday.

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Opposition leaders ranging from the entire Gandhi clan - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi - to Congress stalwart Mallikarjun Kharge, Maharashtra strongmen Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray, leaders from Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav, and Bihar’s Tejashwi Yadav, and  Farooq Abdulla and Mehbooba Mufti from Jammu and Kashmir were among a battery of top Opposition leaders who converged on Ramlila Ground.

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Amidst thunderous applause,  Kejriwal's wife, Sunita, also present at the rally said: “Arvind Kejriwal is a lion. You cannot keep him locked up."

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A BJP leader, keenly observing the developing events acknowledged that the arrest has "helped" the Opposition leaders "set aside their differences" and come together. He admitted this could "adversely impact" the BJP.

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One after another, the  Opposition leaders attacked Prime Minister Modi, accusing him of trying to win the elections by "subverting" democracy and "unleashing a reign of terror" against the Opposition parties and leaders.

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The Opposition leaders came up with five demands in the mega ally. These include-Election Commission (EC) should ensure a level-playing field in the Lok Sabha polls, EC should stop forceful action of Income Tax, CBI, ED against the Opposition being done with intention of manipulating the elections, immediately release Kejriwal and Hemant Soren, all attempts to strangle the Opposition financially must be stopped, and called for a Supreme Court monitored SIT to probe BJP's extortion of funds through electoral bonds.

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The BJP  is desperately trying to project Kejriwal's arrest as a drive to root out corruption, but it could have a major impact in the Hindi heartland, particularly in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.

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A survey conducted by the CVoter indicated that nearly 51.6% respondents believed that the arrest "is likely to increase sympathies for Aam Aadmi Party."

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Also the BJP's efforts to take the moral high ground has come under scrutiny by its ongoing move to admit tainted opposition leaders into the party. Pawan Khera, Congress spokesman and chairman of the party's media and publicity in the Communication Department of the AICC had recently said that every tainted leaders' taint gets washed once he gets into the "Modi washing machine."

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Over 20 Opposition leaders who faced serious charges of corruption were issued a clean chit once they joined the BJP. Prominent among them are Praful Patel, Ashok Chavan, Suvendhu Adhikari  and Narayan Rane.

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Speaking at the INDIA bloc rally, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged the massive crowd which thronged the Ramlila Ground: "This is not an election of votes but a fight to save the Constitution, the democracy."

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