Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday demanded that the government give consumers the option to choose between pure petrol and E20 at fuel pumps, and announced a march to the prime minister's residence on August 4 to submit petitions on the issue.
Addressing a town hall-style meeting on E20 fuel at the Constitution Club of India here, Kejriwal said he would collect petitions at noon on Monday and lead a march of around 100 people to Narendra Modi's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg.
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Kejriwal demanded that consumers be allowed to choose between E20 and regular petrol at fuel stations, and reiterated his call for lower prices for E20-mixed petrol and a cut in pure petrol prices. He also urged the government to make public the report it has cited to claim that E20 does not damage vehicles. "The Centre says studies have been conducted and E20 does not harm vehicles. I want them to share that report," he said.
Escalating his attack, Kejriwal alleged that ethanol is costlier than petrol and that farmers are in trouble as its production is polluting water and soil, claiming the government was forcing E20 on citizens because of the India-US trade deal. He alleged that India's ethanol imports would rise five times over last year's levels following the E20 rollout.
Drawing a parallel with the youth protests at Jantar Mantar, Kejriwal said, "The turning point of a successful youth protest at Jantar Mantar shows how the throne starts shaking when people are not scared of being lathi-charged, jailed," urging people to raise their voice against E20 fuel.
People from across states attended the event and shared their experiences and concerns over the use of E20, including issues they claimed to be facing with their vehicles.
The E20 row has been building for weeks. Kejriwal first wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, urging the Centre to provide consumers the option to choose between pure petrol and E20 at every pump and to cut the price of E20, saying there was no "logical, scientific, engineering or economic argument" for mandating the ethanol blend across vehicles. He also sought an appointment with the Prime Minister to discuss the issue.
He followed this up with claims that pure petrol should be priced at Rs 82 per litre and E20 at around Rs 70 per litre, against the Rs 102 currently charged for E20 petrol, arguing that lower fuel prices would ease inflationary pressure on households.
The AAP chief has also alleged that the Centre summoned representatives of six automobile manufacturers on July 3 to reassure the public about E20 fuel, and has urged party workers to document people's experiences with the fuel at pumps and service stations on social media.
The Union government's Ethanol Blended Petrol programme currently mandates the sale of petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol; India reached the 20 per cent blending target in July 2025, five years ahead of its original 2030 deadline.
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has dismissed concerns over E20 damaging vehicle engines or affecting mileage as "rumours," maintaining that the ethanol blending programme is backed by scientific evidence and is central to India's strategy of cutting crude oil imports, lowering emissions and supporting the domestic agricultural economy.
