AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal launches online campaign against E20 petrol, seeks fuel choice for consumers

Arvind Kejriwal of the AAP has launched an online campaign against E20 petrol, advocating for consumer choice at the pump.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched an online signature campaign against the rollout of E20 petrol, urging people to sign a petition addressed to the Prime Minister seeking greater consumer choice in fuel options.

The campaign, hosted on StopE20petrol.com, calls for consumers to be given the option of choosing between conventional petrol, E10 and E20 fuel at petrol pumps.

Announcing the initiative, Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was implementing E20 petrol without adequate preparation and claimed that vehicle owners had raised concerns over reduced fuel efficiency, engine performance and higher maintenance costs.

He said the government should allow consumers to decide which fuel they wish to purchase instead of offering only E20 petrol. According to Kejriwal, people have demanded that petrol pumps continue supplying conventional petrol alongside ethanol-blended variants.

The AAP leader also argued that E20 fuel has lower energy content than conventional petrol, leading to lower mileage, while claiming that its price has not been reduced to reflect the difference.

Kejriwal said party workers had interacted with vehicle owners at petrol pumps and service centres over the past few days, during which several people allegedly complained of lower mileage and increased expenditure on servicing and repairs after using E20 petrol.

He claimed some consumers had reported issues relating to fuel pumps, injectors and engine performance, although the Centre has maintained that E20-compatible vehicles are designed to operate on the blended fuel.

Through the online campaign, the AAP is seeking public support for a petition asking the Centre to halt what it described as the "forced implementation" of E20 petrol until consumers are provided with alternatives.

The petition also demands that if E20 continues to be supplied, consumers should have the option to purchase conventional petrol and that the price of E20 fuel should be lower than regular petrol.

The campaign comes as ethanol blending remains a key component of the Centre's strategy to reduce crude oil imports and increase the use of domestically produced biofuels.

Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More