New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, senior leader Manish Sisodia and several other party leaders staged a sit-in protest on Firoz Shah Road on Tuesday after being stopped by police while marching towards the Prime Minister's residence to protest the Centre's E20 fuel policy.

Police halted the march before it could proceed towards the Prime Minister's residence, following which Kejriwal, Sisodia and other AAP leaders sat on the road in protest.

The march marked the latest escalation in AAP's campaign against the Centre's policy of supplying petrol blended with up to 20 per cent ethanol.

The protest came a day after Kejriwal held a national town hall programme outside the Constitution Club, where he questioned the scientific basis of the E20 policy and accused the Union government of imposing it on the public without adequate research.

Addressing reporters on Monday, Kejriwal said, "On one side they say E20 is good, on the other side they say E20 is bad. One ministry says there is a difference of 2 per cent to 5 per cent, while another ministry says 4 per cent. They haven't conducted any study; they are just forcing the policy onto the people... Vehicles are getting damaged, and mileage is dropping. Why is the Government forcing this on people? What is the interest of the Government in this? E20 petrol is not good..."

Kejriwal alleged that the use of ethanol-blended petrol was damaging vehicles and reducing fuel efficiency, while accusing the Centre of pushing the policy without sufficient evidence to support its claims.

During Monday's town hall, the AAP chief also placed three demands before the Centre. He urged the government to provide consumers with a choice between E20 fuel and pure petrol at fuel stations, make E20 cheaper than regular petrol, and reduce the price of petrol to below ₹84 per litre.

The AAP has intensified its campaign against the ethanol-blended fuel policy in recent weeks, arguing that consumers should not be compelled to use E20 fuel until its long-term impact on vehicles has been independently assessed.