NEW DELHI / GOA:
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to the people of Goa to vote the BJP out of power, asserting it is the only way to force the Modi government to withdraw the forceful imposition of E20-Blended Petrol. During his visit to Goa, he emphasised that the state has been the worst affected by the policy, with nearly 90 per cent of people facing reduced vehicle mileage and engine damage.
The AAP Chief put forth that if the BJP is defeated in Goa and Uttar Pradesh, the Modi government will roll back E20 within 2 days of the election results, and urged voters not to support the Congress, revealing that its MLAs would eventually join the BJP and help it return to power.
Addressing a press conference in Goa, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated, "The Modi government has forcibly imposed E20-Blended Petrol across the country. People everywhere are deeply unhappy with this decision. The mileage of two wheelers, motorcycles, scooters, cars, SUVs and other four wheelers has dropped drastically. There has been an almost 25 to 30 per cent reported decline in mileage. People's vehicles are getting damaged with engines failing, engines seizing, fuel systems being damaged and rusting. Despite so much public outcry, the Modi government remains adamant and is refusing to withdraw it."
Referring to its impact on Goa, the AAP Chief said, "The people of Goa have been disproportionately affected by this decision. Nationally, only around 7 per cent of households own a car, but in Goa nearly 45 per cent of families own one. Around 86 per cent of families in Goa own a two wheeler. Obviously, there is overlap, with many households owning both two wheelers and four wheelers. This means nearly 85 to 90 per cent of families in Goa are affected by this decision. Their mileage is falling, and even if their engines have not failed today, they will eventually fail."
Comparing India's rollout with other countries, Arvind Kejriwal stated, "Countries across the world that adopted E20 gave themselves 10, 15 or even 20 years before implementing it. Brazil is at the forefront. Today, Brazil even has E100, where vehicles run entirely on ethanol without any petrol, using flex fuel technology. But Brazil took 50 years to reach E20. It introduced E5 in 1931 and implemented E20 only in 1985, after more than five decades. Only after many more decades did it move to E100. Even there, people have the option of choosing between E30 and E100. In most other countries where ethanol is used, including Germany and the United States, the blend is below E10."
He continued, "In our country, the government decided in 2022 that E20 would be implemented by 2025, giving itself merely 3 years. This cannot be done in three years. Petrol pumps are not equipped with storage tanks suitable for E20. When fuel is stored, moisture separates from ethanol and petrol, resulting in water collecting inside storage tanks. Many people end up getting water in their fuel tanks, causing their vehicles to seize. Similarly, oil tankers transporting fuel from oil companies to petrol pumps also need to be specially designed for E20. Nothing out of such engineering necessities were implemented. Petrol pumps were not upgraded, storage systems were not changed, oil tankers were not modified and vehicles were not made ready. Yet the Modi government forcibly imposed E20 across the country."
Questioning the policy, Arvind Kejriwal added, "Today, ethanol is more expensive than petrol. Crude oil costs around ₹50 per litre, while ethanol costs around ₹70 per litre. Ethanol provides less energy, has a lower calorific value and gives lower mileage than petrol. Then why is the Modi government imposing ethanol on the country? Why is it doing this? Why is it forcing people when they are unhappy and there is no benefit for them? The reason is pressure from the United States. Donald Trump is pressuring Prime Minister Modi to buy ethanol from America."
Continuing, the former Delhi CM asserted, "The United States is the world's largest producer of ethanol, but it is unable to consume all that it produces. Farmers there are unhappy. The United States itself uses E10 and has not adopted E20. But it has forced Prime Minister Modi to implement E20 and import American ethanol. Last year, India imported 1 billion litres of ethanol from the United States. This year, we will import 5 billion litres. The ethanol that the United States cannot use is being forced upon us. To create demand for American ethanol, E20 is being imposed on our country because Prime Minister Modi is unable to withstand pressure from Donald Trump."
Referring to the party's campaign, the AAP Chief said, "We organised a townhall against this issue, in which nearly 7 lakh people joined and participated online. Perhaps this was the biggest online political rally in the world. We also launched an online petition that was signed by more than 2 lakh people. We went to submit it to Prime Minister Modi, but he did not meet us."
Speaking about vehicle compatibility, Arvind Kejriwal pointed out, "Vehicles manufactured after 2023 are E20 compliant. However, vehicles manufactured before 2023 are not. There are roughly 30 crore such vehicles, including 22 crore two wheelers and 8 crore cars. These 30 crore vehicles are designed for E10, not E20. Yet E20 is being forced upon them. Now that E20 compliant vehicles are entering the market, the government is preparing to introduce E40, E50 and E60. They claim tests are underway, but no real testing is taking place. “
“They also claimed that E20 was introduced only after extensive testing. If that is true, then show the test reports. They do not release the reports. That means either no testing was conducted or the results were adverse. Now they are saying they will bring E25, E30 and E40, claiming tests are ongoing. They are not testing anything. They are only waiting for public anger to subside, after which E30 and E40 will be imposed on people,” he asserted.
Appealing to the public, Arvind Kejriwal said, "My appeal to people is that they should stop buying petrol and diesel vehicles for now because if you buy an E20 vehicle today, tomorrow the government will put E40 into it. Then your engine will seize and your mileage will decline even further. Until the government makes its intentions and roadmap absolutely clear, people should not buy petrol or diesel vehicles."
Offering a solution, the AAP Chief emphasised, "Why are they doing this? Because Goa elections are approaching. PM Modi and the BJP have become arrogant. They believe they will win elections no matter what they do and that people can do nothing. This time, defeat the BJP in Goa. Do not vote for the BJP in the Goa elections. Likewise, people in Uttar Pradesh should not vote for the BJP. If the election results are declared on 10 March, I guarantee that by 15 March Prime Minister Modi will withdraw E20 across the country. This is about your vehicle. It is about your vehicle's safety and efficiency. Otherwise, no matter how much people protest, Prime Minister Modi will not withdraw it."
Concluding his appeal, Arvind Kejriwal said, "I appeal to the people that voting for the Congress will also make no difference because the Congress will eventually help the BJP form the government. Vote for the Aam Aadmi Party and form an Aam Aadmi Party government. I guarantee that within five days of the election results, E20 will be withdrawn across the country. The solution lies in the hands of the people of Goa.”
