Delhi Police Stop Kejriwal’s March to PM Residence Over E20 Fuel Petition
AAP stages protest after police block march to submit more than 2.3 lakh petitions against E20 petrol as BJP dismisses campaign as politically motivated.
Delhi Police on Tuesday stopped Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and other senior leaders from marching to the Prime Minister’s residence to submit more than 2.3 lakh petitions opposing the use of E20 petrol. The party leaders later staged a sit in protest on Firoz Shah Road after being prevented from moving ahead.
Kejriwal was joined by former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, AAP leader Jasmine Shah, Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj, and other party members during the protest.
The AAP said the petitions were collected from people across the country who are concerned about the impact of ethanol blended E20 petrol on their vehicles. Before the march began, Kejriwal urged the Central government to listen to the concerns of vehicle owners and said people should have the freedom to choose between regular petrol and E20 fuel.
He argued that if the government continues to promote E20, it should be offered at a lower price. Kejriwal also said the party is demanding that fuel stations provide consumers with the option to purchase either pure petrol or E20.
Saurabh Bharadwaj said the party only wanted to submit the petitions and suggested that if the march could not continue, an official from the Prime Minister’s Office should collect the documents and agree to hold discussions. He also questioned the large security deployment at the protest site.
Police officials said protesters would not be allowed beyond 5 Firoz Shah Road and confirmed that adequate police and paramilitary personnel had been deployed to maintain law and order.
The protest comes a few days after the AAP organised an Ethanol Town Hall and launched a nationwide signature campaign against E20 fuel. Kejriwal had earlier written to the Prime Minister seeking a meeting to discuss the issue and had accused the government of ignoring public concerns. He also claimed that the Centre was promoting ethanol blended fuel under pressure from the United States.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said he had raised the issue in Parliament and claimed the government’s response indicated that it was determined to continue implementing the E20 fuel policy.
The Bharatiya Janata Party strongly criticised the protest. BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh described the march as irresponsible, baseless, and politically motivated. He said the introduction of ethanol blended fuel was based on scientific studies and had been properly approved.
Chugh also accused Kejriwal of acting against the interests of Indian farmers, saying ethanol production from crops such as sugarcane and maize provides additional income to the agricultural sector. He rejected the AAP’s claims against E20 fuel and alleged that Kejriwal was trying to create controversy to revive his political fortunes.