Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrival being detained at Radhanpur, Gujarat on Wednesday.
used his brief detention at a police station in Gujarat to allege payback for his four-day road show in the state. Mr Kejriwal, a former tax inspector, has said he will audit the development of
Narendra Modi's homestead.
"We are exposing all claims of development and clean governance," said the 45-year-old, who resigned last month after a two-month stint as Delhi's Chief Minister.
Mr Modi, 65, is the BJP's candidate for prime minister and has centre-pieced the economic growth of Gujarat in his campaign. AAP has suggested that Mr Kejriwal will run against him if he runs for parliament from anywhere outside of Gujarat. (
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Mr Kejriwal was taken to a police station in the western town of Radhanpur, about 170 kms from Ahmedabad, hours after national elections were announced. In Delhi, hours later, his party workers clashed with those from the BJP at the latter's headquarters in the heart of Delhi.
Officials said Mr Kejriwal was detained for failing to adhere to an election code of conduct that requires prior police permission for a rally or procession.
"He was not detained by the police...we did stop him to ask if he had prior permission...we are well within our rights to ask that now that the code of conduct is in place," said HN Thakkar, a senior district official.
In a village this morning, Mr Kejriwal sat under a tree with a crowd of about 200 villagers, many of them signalling their allegiance to his party by wearing its trademark white caps. "If you are unhappy with Modi, why did you vote for him?" Mr Kejriwal asked after they complained that schools and hospitals are sub-standard and that bribes are routine in government departments.
Opinion polls predict that the BJP, led by Mr Modi, will emerge as the largest party but will fall short of a majority in the general election that begins on April 7. (
World's biggest election: see India's voting schedule here)