Panaji: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday alleged that the Narendra Modi government introduced the E20 ethanol-blended petrol programme under pressure from US President Donald Trump to facilitate imports of ethanol from the United States, while urging people not to buy petrol or diesel vehicles until the Centre clarified its long-term fuel-blending policy.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the Centre had “forcibly imposed” E20 fuel across the country without creating the necessary infrastructure or ensuring that existing vehicles were compatible with the higher ethanol blend.
“The 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 ethanol from the US,” he alleged.
Kejriwal claimed that India had imported one billion litres of ethanol from the US last year and would import five billion litres this year, alleging that the fuel-blending programme was aimed at creating a market for surplus American ethanol.
He also alleged that even the United States had not implemented E20 nationwide and largely continued with lower ethanol blends.
The former Delhi Chief Minister claimed that the government had given only three years for 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.
Kejriwal further claimed that ethanol was more expensive than petrol and offered lower mileage, 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 use 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 AAP had organised a nationwide online town hall against the E20 policy and launched an online petition opposing the move.
Linking the issue to the upcoming 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.
