INDIA’S Congress Party, the country’s main opposition, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government today of stifling democracy and crippling the party by freezing its bank accounts.

The move by the increasingly authoritarian far-right Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party comes ahead of national elections which begin on April 19.

Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress Party chief, said it is unable to campaign properly with its accounts frozen. “We can’t support our workers, and our candidates and leaders can’t travel by air or train,” he told reporters.