Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday stepped up his opposition to the Centre’s E20 petrol policy, leading a protest march towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence with around 100 supporters carrying more than 2.3 lakh petitions demanding its rollback.
The march, however, was halted by Delhi Police before it could reach the Prime Minister’s residence. Kejriwal, along with senior AAP leaders and supporters, later staged a protest on Firoz Shah Road, accusing the Centre of ignoring public concerns over the nationwide rollout of ethanol-blended fuel.
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Addressing a press conference after the demonstration, Kejriwal declared that the agitation against E20 petrol would continue and urged citizens across the country to join the movement if they wanted to stop the policy from being implemented.
“If people want to get rid of E20, they will have to come out on the streets in large numbers,” he said, adding that the AAP would also oppose any attempt to enforce the policy in states where the party has elected representatives.
Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was promoting 20 per cent ethanol-blended fuel under pressure from US President Donald Trump rather than in the interest of Indian citizens and farmers. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resist what he described as foreign pressure and stop importing ethanol from the United States.
According to Kejriwal, around 100 people participated in Tuesday’s march despite criticism and trolling on social media. He praised the protesters for standing up against what he called a policy that could adversely affect millions of vehicle owners.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh claimed that Kejriwal had written to the Prime Minister nearly a month ago seeking an appointment to discuss concerns over E20 fuel but had received no response.
“If, under pressure from the United States, the Prime Minister wants to impose E20 fuel at the cost of the interests of millions of people in the country, then that is not right,” Singh said.
AAP Punjab president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora also backed the protest, saying the Centre had advanced the implementation of E20 fuel well ahead of its original timeline.
He questioned why the government was introducing 20 per cent ethanol blending five years before the proposed 2030 deadline and argued that the policy could harm vehicle owners across the country.
Arora said the Punjab Assembly had passed a resolution opposing the rollout and appealed to the Centre to reconsider the decision, claiming the policy would impose unnecessary costs on ordinary citizens.
Meanwhile, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia voiced support for the protest through a social media post, saying, “300 million voices cannot be silenced. When power stops listening, the streets become democracy’s loudest voice.”
AAP’s national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda also criticised the Centre, alleging that the ethanol policy could put more than 30 crore vehicles at risk of becoming unusable while benefiting foreign interests.
The E20 fuel policy has emerged as a fresh flashpoint between the AAP and the BJP-led Centre, with Kejriwal signalling that his party intends to sustain its campaign through public protests, political outreach and legislative action in states where it is in power.
