New Delhi: Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, on Monday announced a National Town Hall meeting against ethanol-blended fuel (E20), scheduled to be held on August 1 at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.
Arvind Kejriwal took to social media ‘X’ and said, “When the country’s youth united and raised their voices, Dharmendra Pradhan was forced to resign. We must similarly unite and raise our voices regarding E20. This Saturday, we are organising a ‘National Townhall Against E20,’ where you can join and share your views on the issue. You can also participate online. Everyone is invited.”
He also shared the event details, stating, “Date: August 1, 2026. Time: 11:30 a.m. Venue: Constitution Club, Delhi.”
The announcement comes days after former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following more than a month of protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which had demanded his resignation over irregularities in the education system, particularly the NEET-UG paper leaks.
The Centre’s decision to make 20 per cent E20 the standard fuel at petrol pumps across the country has sparked a political debate. Opposition leaders have cited a 2021 NITI Aayog report, alleging that the government bypassed the phased implementation and safeguards recommended in the report before rolling out E20 nationwide in April 2025.
Earlier on July 23, the Union government told Parliament that no decision has been taken so far to increase ethanol blending with petrol beyond 20 per cent.
Any future decision regarding higher ethanol blends will be taken only after detailed scientific and technical studies and consultations with all relevant stakeholders, including automobile manufacturers, oil marketing companies and research institutions.
However, E85 fuel (containing 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petrol) has been introduced exclusively for use in Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) designed and certified for such fuel (E85) and does not constitute an increase in the nationwide base ethanol blending level of petrol, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi had said in a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha.
He had also clarified that ethanol has been used globally for more than a century, with countries such as Brazil operating higher ethanol blends for decades.
In India, the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme has been implemented through a phased, scientifically validated and consultative process involving NITI Aayog, automobile manufacturers, oil marketing companies, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) and other technical institutions.
(IANS)
