Kejriwal also questioned the government's claim that E20 had been introduced after extensive testing and called for the reports of those studies to be made public
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged that the Centre's nationwide rollout of E20 petrol was driven by pressure from US President Donald Trump to create a market for American ethanol imports.
Addressing a press conference, the former Delhi chief minister claimed that India had adopted the E20 fuel-blending programme without adequately upgrading fuel infrastructure or ensuring that existing vehicles were compatible with the higher ethanol blend.
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"The Narendra Modi government is unable to withstand pressure from Donald Trump. America is the largest producer of ethanol but cannot consume all of it. To create demand for American ethanol, India is being forced to implement E20 and import ethanol from the US," Kejriwal alleged.
He claimed that India imported around one billion litres of ethanol from the US last year and would import five billion litres this year, alleging that the policy was intended to create demand for surplus American ethanol.
Kejriwal further alleged that even the US had not adopted E20 nationwide and continued to use lower ethanol blends in most regions.
The AAP leader criticised the Centre for introducing the policy within three years of announcing it in 2022, arguing that the timeframe was insufficient to upgrade petrol pumps, storage tanks, transport infrastructure and vehicles.
He also alleged that nearly 30 crore vehicles manufactured before 2023, including around 22 crore two-wheelers and eight crore cars, were not designed to run on E20 fuel.
Claiming that the government was considering higher ethanol blends such as E30 and E40, Kejriwal urged consumers to postpone buying petrol and diesel vehicles until the Centre announced a clear long-term policy.
"Today you may buy an E20-compliant vehicle, and tomorrow the government may introduce E30 or E40. Until the government clearly spells out its long-term policy, people should not invest in petrol or diesel vehicles," he said.
Kejriwal also questioned the government's claim that E20 had been introduced after extensive testing and called for the reports of those studies to be made public.
He said the AAP had launched a nationwide online town hall and an online petition opposing the E20 policy.
Linking the issue to the 2027 Goa Assembly elections, Kejriwal appealed to voters to defeat the BJP, claiming that an electoral setback would compel the Centre to reconsider the policy. He also criticised the Congress, alleging that voting for the party would not lead to any change in the government's approach.
Published: 07 Aug 2026, 02:45 pm IST
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