The opposition’s protest against the blended fuel – E20 petrol which allegedly caused harm to vehicles – has gained momentum with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal announcing march to the Prime Minister’s residence on Tuesday to submit a public petition against forceful imposition of E20-Blended petrol fuel. Kejriwal shared he will leave the AAP headquarters at 12 noon with 100 people to personally hand over a petition signed by around 2.5 lakh people, seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister over problems with ethanol blended fuel.
Addressing a press conference, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said, “People across the country are deeply troubled by E20-Blended Petrol, yet the Modi Government is forcibly imposing it on them. Vehicle mileage is falling and people’s vehicles are getting damaged. Despite this, the government continues to push the ethanol blended fuel without answering any questions or offering any justification. This raises the suspicion that the government has a hidden agenda.”
He continued, “One allegation being made is that PM Modi has buckled under pressure from US President Trump. Donald Trump wants the United States’ ethanol to be forcibly imported into India. According to one estimate, PM Modi will purchase $20 billion worth of ethanol from Donald Trump over the next five years, which will then be imposed on the people of our country. PM Modi wants to damage the vehicles of the people of India.”
Referring to the party’s recent campaign against ethanol-blended fuel, the AAP Chief emphasised, “On Saturday, we organised the ‘National Town Hall Against E20,’ and it was an overwhelming success. The hall was packed, there were large crowds outside, and nearly 700,000 people watched the programme live. I believe this is a world record for a live event being watched online by 700,000 people. It shows how deeply people are affected by E20 and the level of public support for this campaign.”
The AAP National Convenor added, “Despite this, people are being intimidated. If any influencer, content creator or affected citizen speaks out against E20, they are trolled and threatened with FIRs. That is why people are living in fear.”
Sharing details of the party’s petition campaign, he said, “A few days ago, we launched an online petition addressed to the Prime Minister. Within just a few days, 2,33,238 people signed it. On Tuesday, I will begin from the Aam Aadmi Party headquarters at 12 noon with 100 people to personally deliver petitions to the Prime Minister at his residence. We want to hand it over to him ourselves and discuss why ethanol is harmful and how people are suffering because of it.”
Arvind Kejriwal concluded by stating, “About a month ago, I had also written to the Prime Minister seeking an appointment, but I received no response. Therefore, on Tuesday we will personally take the petition to him. We hope that the Prime Minister will meet us and listen to our concerns.”
