Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday flayed the arrest of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, saying the Centre can arrest the Delhi chief minister but cannot imprison his thinking.

Mann said the AAP will stand like a rock behind Kejriwal.

"You may arrest Arvind Kejriwal but how will you imprison his thinking...Arvind Kejriwal is not an individual but an idea and we stand with our leader like a rock...Inquilab Zindabad," Mann posted in Hindi on X.

Mann left for Delhi on Friday where he will meet senior AAP leaders, sources said.

He is also likely to meet Kejriwal's family in the national capital.

Earlier on Thursday, AAP leaders in Punjab and Haryana had slammed the BJP government for the arrest of Kejriwal, alleging the "dictatorial regime was making a mockery of constitutional norms." Congress leaders from the two states also slammed the Centre for Kejriwal's arrest.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday night in an excise policy-linked money laundering case in Delhi.

In a post on on X on Thursday night, Mann had said "BJP's political team ED, cannot imprison Kejriwal's thinking...because only AAP can stop the BJP. Thinking can never be suppressed." Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had also lambasted the BJP-led Union government for Kejriwal's arrest.

AAP's Haryana unit president Sushil Gupta had said, "This is a black day for democracy. The BJP is already trying to destroy the country's democracy.You have arrested him, how will you stop his ideology?" Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also took on the BJP, alleging it is "hell bent upon destroying all opposition".

"... Now, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested by ED. We strongly condemn this draconian action. This is fascism," Warring posted on X.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.