Delhi Police stop Kejriwal’s march to PM’s residence over E20 petrol

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday was stopped by Delhi Police while marching towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence with around 100 party workers and more than 233,000 petitions seeking the withdrawal of E20-blended petrol

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday was stopped by Delhi Police while marching towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence with around 100 party workers and more than 233,000 petitions seeking the withdrawal of E20-blended petrol. He later staged a brief sit-in before the petitions were handed over to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) through the police.

AAP national convenor handed over 233,000 petitions to the PM’s Office. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The party said Kejriwal had sought an appointment with Modi around a month ago to discuss concerns over E20-blended petrol but did not receive a response. According to AAP, the delegation was informed on Tuesday that the Prime Minister would not meet them. Police subsequently received the petitions for onward submission to the PMO, following which the demonstration ended.

Addressing a press conference later, Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was imposing E20 despite concerns expressed by vehicle owners and demanded that consumers be given the option of choosing between conventional petrol and E20 at fuel stations.

“We had gone today to submit 233,238 petitions to the Prime Minister. A month ago, we had sought time to discuss the forceful imposition of the E20 issue with him, but we received no response. The government itself has admitted in Parliament that fuel efficiency decreases and some engine components are affected. If mileage reduces and engine parts are getting damaged, why is this being imposed?” Kejriwal said.

He said AAP would continue its campaign against the policy and added that the Punjab assembly had passed a resolution seeking the withdrawal of E20. The party also announced that its legislators in Gujarat, Goa and Jammu & Kashmir would move similar resolutions in their respective assemblies.

Senior AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia accompanied Kejriwal during the march. The party maintained that more than 233,000 people had signed petitions urging the Centre to withdraw the policy or allow consumers to choose between conventional petrol and E20.

Responding to the protest, Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra accused Kejriwal of attempting to derive political mileage from the issue.

“Vehicle owners across the country fully understand that ethanol-blended petrol is the fuel of the future and will not be misled by Arvind Kejriwal. Despite repeated challenges, he has not produced even 100 vehicles backed by a certified automobile engineer’s report stating that E20 petrol damaged them,” Malhotra said.

The BJP also disputed AAP’s claim that it had submitted more than 233,000 petitions and alleged that the protest was aimed at generating publicity ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections.

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