NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday stepped up his attack on the Centre over the rollout of E20 fuel, demanding that consumers be allowed to choose between regular petrol and the ethanol-blended variant at fuel stations. He also announced a march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on August 3 to submit public petitions against the policy.Addressing a town hall-style meeting on E20 fuel at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi, Kejriwal accused the government of shifting its position on the issue. “Government blaming opposition parties over E20 fuel, calling it our agenda, but now BJP leaders are also cursing them,” he said.Kejriwal alleged that ethanol blending would increase costs and create problems for both consumers and farmers. “Ethanol is costlier than petrol, farmers are in trouble as it is polluting water, soil; govt forcing E20 on citizens over India-US trade deal,” he said, claiming that India’s ethanol imports would rise fivefold compared with last year after the introduction of E20 fuel.
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The former Delhi chief minister said he would begin collecting petitions at noon on Monday before leading a march with around 100 people to Lok Kalyan Marg. He also called for lower prices for E20-blended petrol and an overall reduction in petrol prices.Kejriwal further urged the Centre to release the study it has cited to support the use of E20 fuel. “The Centre says studies have been conducted and E20 does not harm vehicles. I want them to share that report,” he said.The event was attended by people from several states, with participants sharing their experiences and concerns about using E20 fuel and the issues they claimed to have faced with their vehicles.
