New Delhi: Indian Youth Congress (IYC) Friday staged a protest against the E20 ethanol-blended petrol policy, accusing the Centre of pushing a measure that allegedly harms vehicles and benefits ethanol manufacturers.
Gathering outside the IYC office on Raisina Road, party workers wearing masks of Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari raised slogans against the minister, waved Congress flags and held placards reading “Ganne Ka Juice”.
A sugarcane juice machine was brought to the protest as a symbolic representation of ethanol production, while protesters also flung fake Rs 200 currency notes into the air.
A damaged motorcycle was tied to a tree and left hanging to symbolise what the protesters claimed was the deteriorating condition of vehicles due to the use of E20 fuel.
The protesters alleged that ethanol blending was leading to vehicle breakdowns, reduced fuel efficiency, and damage to fuel systems and demanded that consumers be given the option to choose unblended petrol.
“The country’s automobile industry has suffered a massive blow due to the introduction of E20 petrol. Expensive vehicles are breaking down right on the roads,” Delhi Youth Congress president Akshay Lakra said.
Lakra alleged that the policy had imposed an unnecessary burden on vehicle owners.
“The hard-earned money with which people buy motorcycles, scooters, or cars is going to waste. Fuel pumps are getting choked, vehicles are breaking down midway, and families are forced to suffer despite paying road tax and other charges,” he said.
The Congress’s youth wing also alleged that motorists across the country had raised concerns over engine performance, maintenance costs, and the lack of an option to purchase petrol without ethanol blending.
The Centre has been promoting ethanol blending as part of its strategy to reduce dependence on imported crude oil, lower emissions and support domestic sugarcane farmers. Under the programme, E20 petrol containing 20 per cent ethanol has been rolled out across fuel stations nationwide.
PTI
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