AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to lead march to PM Modi's residence today over E20

Addressing a press conference, the AAP supremo said the march will begin at 12 noon and will have around 100 people.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal reiterated on Monday that he will march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence with 100 people on Tuesday to submit petitions against ethanol-blended fuel.

Kejriwal alleged the government continues to push the ethanol-blended fuel without answering any questions (Hindustan Times)

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said: “I will leave the AAP headquarters at 12 noon with 100 people to personally hand over a petition signed by around 250,000 people, seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister over problems with ethanol-blended fuel… 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.

The AAP chief alleged that India had “yielded” to US President Donald Trump to purchase “ethanol from the United States,” suggesting a “hidden agenda” behind the government’s continued push for ethanol-blended petrol.

“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...People are saying that PM Modi is under pressure from Trump to buy ethanol from the United States,” he alleged.

Kejriwal said he would personally hand over the petitions after having received no response to a letter sent to the Prime Minister last month. In the letter, he had sought the availability of both pure petrol and E20 fuel at stations and demanded a price reduction for the ethanol-blended variant.

In response, Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra said Kejriwal’s announcement to march to the PM’s residence is part of an ongoing competition with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to emerge as the country’s “No. 1 anarchist.”

Malhotra remarked that since Rahul Gandhi staged a protest at the PM’s residence, Kejriwal has appeared to be falling behind in the “politics of disruption.” He added, “To make up for it, Kejriwal has now announced that he will march to the Prime Minister’s residence over the ethanol issue without obtaining permission.”

He claimed that creating disorder and subsequently playing the “victim card” has long been Kejriwal’s political style.

“Tomorrow, when the police prevent him from entering the PM’s residence without permission, Kejriwal will once again play the victim card and claim that the government refused even to hold talks with him. The use of ethanol is the need of the hour, as it helps reduce air pollution, increases farmers’ income, and saves the country significant foreign exchange,” Malhotra added.