AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to roll back the 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol (E20) programme, alleging that it adversely affects vehicle mileage and has raised public concerns.
In a video message posted on X, Kejriwal claimed that the Centre had informed the Supreme Court through the Attorney General on June 30 that the E20 fuel programme was "an experiment" and that its future course would depend on the outcome.
He alleged that after media reports highlighted the court proceedings, the Centre denied making such a submission and described the reports incorrect.
On June 30, a statement issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice rejected rejected media reports claiming that it told the Supreme Court that the 20 per cent ethanol blended petrol (E20) programme was an “ongoing experiment”, calling the claims “incorrectly reported” and “completely false.”
“At no stage was any submission made that the Government's Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme or the E20 blending programme is an ‘experiment’,” the statement clarified.
According to the statement made, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice Sheel Nagu directed that the existing arrangement regarding ethanol allocation remain unchanged for the ongoing Ethanol Supply Year (2025–26) in the present case.
However, questioning the roll out of E20 fuel, Kejriwal said any such experiment should first be conducted on a limited number of vehicles before being implemented on a large scale.
He also asked whether the government would compensate vehicle owners if their vehicles were damaged due to the use of ethanol-blended petrol.
Referring to concerns over fuel efficiency, Kejriwal claimed that many people were reporting a decline in mileage after switching to E20 petrol.
He also cited a statement by a Bharat Petroleum executive, claiming that ethanol has lower energy content than petrol.
Appealing to the Centre to reconsider the policy, Kejriwal said he would write to the prime minister in the coming days requesting the withdrawal of the E20 programme.
He also invited people to share suggestions for the letter through comments and direct messages on social media.