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As Gadkari memes explode and Kejriwal starts campaign against E20, minister readies a big legal move
Arvind Kejriwal announces ‘National Town Hall’ to mobilise support, declares will hand over 2 lakh petitions to PM Modi against ethanol-blended petrol policy
Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari is prepping for a major counter-offensive as he has become a target for online movements freshly inspired by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), and Opposition parties such as Arvind Kejriwal's AAP, days after a youth agitation led to Dharmendra Pradhan quitting as education minister.
Gadkari has got the court's nod to file cases against major social media companies over deepfake videos linking him to alleged profiteering via the policy of ethanol-blended fuel such as E20 (20% ethanol, rest petrol).
The Narendra Modi government has repeatedly denied claims that ethanol blend leads to engine failures, though it has said there can be marginal decrease in fuel economy.
Kejriwal's plan for the weekend
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced a ‘National Town Hall’ for the coming weekend to mobilise public support against E20 and Gadkari. The former Delhi CM said he expects to hand over more than 2 lakh petitions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week on the issue.
“The youth of this country have made an arrogant government bow down, resulting in Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Now, I request the Prime Minister to also resolve the E20 issue before it turns into a massive protest,” Kejriwal said at a press conference.
He announced, “We are starting a National Town Hall this Saturday afternoon to unite people on this issue. Residents of Delhi-NCR can attend in person, while those from outside can join online. We have provided a registration number (85888-33212) for participants. Through this Town Hall, we will hold discussions with experts, victims, and the general public.”
He later posted a video message on his social media handles too, announcing the time and place: 11:30am, August 1, at Constitutional Club of India, Delhi.
He said an online petition started by his party has already received over two lakh letters. “I will be taking these letters to the Prime Minister's residence next week,” he said.
The main Opposition party Congress has also demanded a rollback of the ethanol policy. Its national spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore earlier this month alleged that the policy was being implemented “without adequate scientific validation and at the expense of millions of vehicle owners across the country”.
‘E20 Janta Party’
A general wave of memes saying “Gadkari is next” has flooded social media over the past week, with Gen-Z protesters joking to the cops as they left Jantar Mantar after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest wound down with a victory for now: “Ab E20 ke waqt milenge! (We'll meet again over E20).”
The CJP leaders have not spoken of any such, specific move yet.
Yet, social media pages using the name ‘E20 Janta Party’ have got thousands of followers too. Political activist Tehseen Poonawalla and another group calling itself ‘Team Bharat’ have already held smaller protests at Jantar Mantar while the CJP was there too. They have been calling for pure unblended petrol at lower prices, a 20% discount on E20 blended fuel, and continued availability of E10 fuel as well.
The government — with Gadkari, besides oil minister Hardeep Puri, as a main face of the move — has been saying ethanol-blending cuts crude oil import dependence, especially in situations like the US-Iran war right now. It also lowers vehicle emissions, and supports farmers as it's made from cane and other farm procuce, Gadkari and Puri have both argued.
The critics point to vehicle damage risks in older models in particular, besides lower fuel efficiency, and high water usage for crop production.
The ‘E20 Janta Party’ — the latest name/handle of an apparently older X account has stressed that it is not a political party. “We are an independent citizens’ movement focused on raising issues that affect the common people. Our only agenda is to ensure transparency, protect consumer rights, and encourage an open public discussion on the real impact of India’s E20 (20% Ethanol Blended Petrol) policy,” a post shared shortly after midnight on Monday read.
On the ground, Tehseen Poonawalla has spoken of a July 31 march in Delhi, while another account using the name ‘E20 Janta Party’ has also announced a Parliament march on August 4, saying that taxi, tourist, and commercial vehicle owners from across India will come together.
Gadkari can sue Meta, X, Google, others
Gadkari prepared his next move, too, on Monday, as the Bombay High Court permitted the Union minister to file a civil suit against Meta (that owns WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram), X Corp (formerly Twitter), Google LLC, and other platforms over alleged defamatory posts and AI-generated deepfake content on social media targeting him and his family.
A single-judge bench of Justice Abhay Ahuja allowed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader to institute the suit against the social media platforms, enabling him to file for interim relief and a temporary injunction against content allegedly falsely associating him with the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme and the E20 initiative.
Launched in 2014 to cut crude oil imports, the EBP programme has scaled rapidly since 2021 by incrementally blending ethanol produced from sugarcane, rice, and maize with petrol, reaching a milestone of 20% blending (E20) in 2025, five years ahead of the original target.
The plea was filed after a complaint was filed last month by BJP's social media cell convener Shishir Arun Tripathi in Nagpur, Garkari's home city, over videos and posts about Gadkari and E20 fuel “that could mislead the public, confuse citizens and disturb peace”. The police registered an FIR too.
Gadkari had recently noted that 100% petrol as fuel remains available, though at around 50% higher price than E20. He also noted that oil-related subjects mainly fell under the purview of his colleague Hardeep Singh Puri, who has also said that ethanol shows no ill-effects on vehicles.
