New Delhi, March 25 (IANS): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday staged protests in the national capital against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy case.

Delhi Minister Atishi led a candle march at Kalkaji while INDIA bloc candidate from East Delhi Lok Sabha seat Kuldeep Kumar, and AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha held candle marches in east Delhi and Burari respectively.

Atishi during the protest said that it has never happened in the history of the country that the national convener of a national party has been arrested immediately after the announcement of the elections.

"The bank account of a major national party is frozen. The roads leading to the national office of the Aam Aadmi Party have been barricaded and closed for the past two days. All this is an attempt to prevent opposition parties from contesting elections in the country. This is a direct assault on democracy in the country," she said.

The AAP Minister further said that despite a two-year investigation into the alleged excise policy scam, not a single penny of corruption was found from AAP leaders. Yet, all the top leaders of the party were arrested.

AAP MLA and INDIA bloc candidate from East Delhi said: "Today, the people of Delhi are asking why Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested and put in jail. Today, the people of the country are questioning why BJP took such a hefty donation from Sarath Chandra Reddy's company, whom the ED has made a government witness in Delhi's alleged liquor scam..."

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha, who took out a candle march in the Burari area, hit out at the BJP and said: "The Constitution has given us the freedom to protest and speak... They have deployed police everywhere... What are they afraid of? Something is fishy."