As Aam Aadmi Party workers gathered at Patel Chowk to protest against the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Bharatiya Janata Party staged a counter-protest in Delhi, calling for Kejriwal’s resignation on Tuesday.

The protest, led by Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, traversed from Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium to Delhi Secretariat via ITO, with several senior BJP leaders in attendance.

“The CM of Delhi is corrupt and dishonest and he has looted the people of Delhi. We are going to the Secretariat to demand his resignation… The government is not running from the jail. Just like AAP’s character, the orders are also fake… Arvind Kejriwal has to resign,” Sachdeva told ANI, referring to the two orders issued by the Delhi CM while in ED’s custody.

“Arvind Kejriwal is in jail and he thinks he will run the government from jail. Previously, many chief ministers were arrested and they also believe the same… Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa had to tender their resignations after their arrests,” another BJP leader stated.

He claimed to continue the protest until Kejriwal submits his resignation, further accusing Arvind Kejriwal of previously stating that he would never take bribes, bungalows, or cars, yet allegedly accepting all these benefits.

Earlier, AAP protestors were detained outside Patel Chowk metro station while demonstrating against the arrest of their convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Among those detained was Punjab minister and AAP leader Harjot Singh Bains.

Commenting on the AAP protest, party leader Reena Gupta said that the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal was unlawful and demanded his immediate release. “Our demand is that Arvind Kejriwal should be released immediately. His arrest is illegal. PM Modi is afraid and he wants Arvind Kejriwal to not campaign in the upcoming elections. To keep Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning, he has been arrested…,” she added.

Earlier, security was heightened at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence by Delhi police following a call from AAP for a ‘gherao’ protest in response to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest.

Delhi police, through announcements outside the Patel Chowk Metro station, stated that no permission had been granted for protests, Section 144 of the CrPC had been enforced (prohibiting gatherings of four or more people in an area), and the area should be cleared within five minutes.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case, which is linked to a money laundering investigation. He was remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate for seven days until March 28, a day after his arrest.

The AAP has ruled out Kejriwal’s resignation and claimed that he will continue to run the Delhi government from jail, if needed.