Bengaluru, Feb 27 (IANS): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers on Monday protested against the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia before the BJP office in Bengaluru and shouted slogans against the Central government.

Addressing the media here during the protest, Karnataka AAP president Prithvi Reddy said, "The BJP leaders tried to divide the Delhi AAP and merge it with the BJP. But this attempt failed due to the commitment of AAP leaders."

"Frustrated by this, the BJP is using its power to harass AAP leaders. There is nothing wrong with Delhi's excise policy. The new excise policy is yet to be implemented in Delhi and the same policy is in force in many states. However, it is condemnable that the Central government is targeting Sisodia," Reddy added.

"Although Central government investigators have been targeting Sisodia for nearly a year, not a shred of evidence has been found to substantiate the allegations. No cash or any illegal documents have been found."

"Realising that it is only the AAP that has the power to face the BJP and since the BJP is unable to confront us politically, it is misusing its powers to create trouble like this. We are not only ready for the arrest, but we are also ready to sacrifice our lives for the sake of the country and the people," Reddy said.

The AAP's state working president Mohan Dasari said, "AAP is flourishing all over the country, including Karnataka. The BJP cannot tolerate people supporting AAP."

Sisodia has been arrested by the Central government through the CBI, fearing that he might question the plight of government schools here when he comes to campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections, Dasari added.

"Many foreign countries have also appreciated the revolution in the education sector brought about by the AAP in Delhi's government schools. But the BJP cannot tolerate this. Manish Sisodia as Delhi's Education Minister has built 25,000 state-of-the-art school rooms and laid a solid foundation for the future of around 20 lakh students. It is reprehensible that the BJP is indulging in such low-level politics against people like Manish Sisodia," he said.