New Delhi [India], August 9 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who is spearheading the party’s campaign against E20 fuel, attacked the Modi government on the issue on Sunday and said it is trying to prevent people from airing their voice.
In a video posted on X, Kejriwal accused the government of trying to remove social media content critical of its E20 policy.
Kejriwal, a former Delhi Chief Minister, said he wanted to talk about how E20 fuel policy is being implemented in the country.
Reciting the joke in the video in his post, he said “a competition was held between the police forces” of US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and PM Modi “to find a lion released in jungle”.
He said while the “police of Trump brought the lion in 24 hours and that of Putin in an hour, the police force of Modiji took days and during the search it was found that they were holding onto a dog, beating it severely, and asking it to say, ‘I am a lion”. This is the situation of the country that Modi ji has done. 140 crore people are being battered and are being told to say that ‘E20 is right’,” he said.
“Anyone who raises a voice against E20…their page (is) taken down, their video deleted… FIR filed against them… How will you suppress 1.40 crore people?” he asked.
AAP has tried to corner the government over the concerns related to ethanol-blended fuel.
AAP has said that findings related to fuel quality and vehicle compatibility should be made public and people should have choice for fuel at petrol station including for getting conventional petrol.
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been addressing the issue of claims on social media concerning blended fuel.
It said in June that certain misleading and unsubstantiated claims were being circulated on social media regarding Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) appear to be aimed at confusing and misleading the public.
The Ministry said that the Ethanol Blending Programme is scientifically validated and continuously monitored by the Government.
It said that Ethanol Blending Programme was launched in 2003 with the objectives of reducing crude oil imports, enhancing energy security and promoting environmental sustainability. The programme has been implemented in a phased manner based on technical preparedness and stakeholder consultations, culminating in the rollout of 20 per cent ethanol blending (E20) from 2023 onwards.
The Ministry said the government continuously monitors the implementation of the Ethanol Blending Programme in consultation with oil marketing companies, automobile manufacturers, fuel testing agencies and other stakeholders.
“Since the introduction of E20 petrol, no widespread issues of engine failure or vehicle breakdown attributable to ethanol blending have been reported,” the release said. (ANI)
Related reading
