Panaji: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged that the BJP-led Centre implemented the E20 fuel blending programme under pressure from US President Donald Trump to facilitate massive American ethanol imports.
Speaking to reporters, the former Delhi chief minister alleged that the government forcibly imposed the E20 policy without upgrading infrastructure or ensuring that existing vehicles were compatible with the higher ethanol blend.
“The Narendra Modi government is unable to withstand pressure from Donald Trump. America is the largest producer of ethanol, but is unable to consume all of it. To create demand for American ethanol, India is being forced to implement E20 and import the substance from the US,” he claimed.
India had imported one billion litres of ethanol from the US last year and would import five billion litres this year, Kejriwal claimed, alleging that the policy was aimed at creating a market for surplus American ethanol. He further stated that even the US had not implemented E20 nationwide and largely continued with lower ethanol blends.
The AAP leader said the government had given only three years to implementing E20 after announcing the policy in 2022, which, according to him, was inadequate for upgrading fuel storage facilities, transport infrastructure and vehicles.
“Petrol pumps were not redesigned, storage tanks were not upgraded, oil tankers were not modified, and millions of vehicles on the road are not compatible with E20. Yet the government imposed it across the country,” he alleged. Ethanol is more expensive than petrol and offers lower mileage, he claimed, questioning the rationale behind the policy.
He alleged that nearly 30 crore vehicles manufactured before 2023, including around 22 crore two-wheelers and eight crore cars, were not designed to run on E20 fuel.
Claiming that the Centre was preparing to introduce higher ethanol blends such as E30 and E40, Kejriwal urged people to defer purchasing petrol and diesel vehicles.
“My appeal to people is that they should stop buying petrol and diesel vehicles for now. Today you may buy an E20-compliant vehicle, and tomorrow the government may introduce E30 or E40. Until the government clearly spells out its long-term policy, people should not invest in petrol or diesel vehicles,” he said.
Kejriwal also questioned the government’s claim that E20 had been introduced after extensive testing, asking it to make the reports of such studies public. He said that the AAP had organised a nationwide online town hall against the E20 policy and launched an online petition.
Linking the issue to the 2027 Goa assembly elections, Kejriwal appealed to voters to defeat the BJP, claiming that an electoral setback would force the Centre to withdraw the E20 policy. He also criticised the Congress, alleging that voting for the party would not result in a change in the policy.
