New Delhi: Miffed at Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, the AAP is gearing up for a nationwide protest, which may see an anti-BJP showdown before the Lok Sabha elections. AAP's Delhi unit convener Gopal Rai on Thursday announced his party's decision.

Rai said Kejriwal's arrest is the "murder of democracy" and an "announcement of dictatorship". The ED arrested Kejriwal in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case on Thursday evening and took him to the agency's headquarters here, officials said.

The arrest, the first of a sitting chief minister, came hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convenor from any coercive action by the federal agency. "I appeal to the countrymen to protest outside BJP offices across the country against this dictatorship. We will gather at the AAP office at 10 am on Friday and then protest outside the BJP headquarters," Rai, a minister in the Delhi government, said.

"If Kejriwal can be arrested, anyone can be arrested and their voice can be suppressed. From today, the fight has begun. Arvind Kejriwal is not a person, but an ideology," he added. Ever since the INDIA bloc was formed, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre feels that it will not get 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls but will only be restricted to 40 seats, Rai claimed.

Thus, the saffron party is targeting opposition leaders, he alleged. "Today, they have crossed all limits. All of you will go home tonight. I appeal to Delhiites to join the fight," the minister said. At a midnight press conference, Delhi ministers Atishi, Rai and the AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak condemned the way in which Kejriwal was arrested.

Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj was also present. Addressing the press conference, Pathak said, "This is no longer a fight between the BJP and the AAP. This is a fight between the country's people and the BJP. This is no longer a fight of the AAP but a fight of all those who want clean politics in the country."

AAP leader Atishi said that the Congress has assured of support from INDIA bloc members. She also said that Kejriwal's fight will continue from the "roads to the court".

"The Supreme Court will hear the case on Friday. This arrest is unconstitutional. They arrested (former Jharkhand chief minister) Hemant Soren, Arvind Kejriwal and froze the accounts of Congress," she said. Earlier, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely joined the AAP protest outside Kejriwal's residence.

"They have arrested Hemant Soren, Arvind Kejriwal, frozen our accounts. In what direction is the country's democracy heading? We are standing with our INDIA bloc partner and will fight the elections strongly," Lovely said.