New Delhi, Aug 8:
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged that the BJP-led Centre implemented the E20 fuel blending programme under pressure from US President Donald Trump to facilitate massive American ethanol imports.
Speaking to reporters, the former Delhi chief minister alleged that the government forcibly imposed the E20 policy without upgrading infrastructure or ensuring that existing vehicles were compatible with the higher ethanol blend.
“The Narendra Modi government is unable to withstand pressure from Donald Trump. America is the largest producer of ethanol, but is unable to consume all of it. To create demand for American ethanol, India is being forced to implement E20 and import the substance from the US,” he claimed.
India had imported one billion litres of ethanol from the US last year and would import five billion litres this year, Kejriwal claimed, alleging that the policy was aimed at creating a market for surplus American ethanol.
He further stated that even the US had not implemented E20 nationwide and largely continued with lower ethanol blends.
The AAP leader said the government had given only three years to implementing E20 after announcing the policy in 2022, which, according to him, was inadequate for upgrading fuel storage facilities, transport infrastructure and vehicles.
“Petrol pumps were not redesigned, storage tanks were not upgraded, oil tankers were not modified, and millions of vehicles on the road are not compatible with E20. Yet the government imposed it across the country,” he alleged.
Ethanol is more expensive than petrol and offers lower mileage, he claimed, questioning the rationale behind the policy.
He alleged that nearly 30 crore vehicles manufactured before 2023, including around 22 crore two-wheelers and eight crore cars, were not designed to run on E20 fuel.