'E20 gives lower mileage': Arvind Kejriwal writes to PM Modi, seeks reduced prices, review rollout for older cars

AAP national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, asking him to reduce the price of E20 fuel since it yields lower mileage.

"... I have appealed to Prime Minister Modi to reduce the price of E20 fuel; since E20 yields lower mileage, its price should also be lower... I have also sought an appointment to meet him... I want to tell everyone troubled by these issues to make videos and post them on social media, because this government will not listen to us so easily..." Kejriwal said in a press conference.

He also said that he has urged the PM in his letter to reconsider the rollout of E20 petrol for those vehicles which are not designed to run on blended fuel.

In the letter, Kejriwal has claimed that using E20 petrol in older vehicles has led to the reduction of mileage, along with faster engine wear, and is also putting a financial burden on owners of cars which were manufactured before 2023.

He also demanded that petrol pumps should have the provision to provide their customers with an option to choose either ethanol-blended fuel or pure petrol.

The former Delhi CM has been raising this issue for quite some time now, with him also writing to car manufacturers last week asking them whether they would compensate their customers if E20 results in wear and tear or mileage drop.

"So, I have asked them two questions: If the use of E-20 results in a mileage drop of more than five per cent or causes damage to any component, will compensation be provided? They should inform the public whether E20 can be used in automobiles made by them before 2023. If yes, then in case of mileage issues or damage to any component, will the company compensate for the loss?," Kejriwal had then said.

Kejriwal's petrol pump visit

Kejriwal on Saturday visited a service station and petrol pump in Delhi where he interacted with vehicle owners about the impact of E20-bloended petrol. He aleged that the claims the Modi government were making regarding the blended fuel did not match the experience of the consumers.

After his visit, Kejriwal wrote on X, "Today, I went to a petrol pump and a service station in Delhi to understand the ground reality. The government is telling blatant lies. E20 petrol is genuinely causing problems in vehicles. Ordinary people are deeply distressed because of ethanol. Almost everyone I spoke to said their vehicles' mileage has dropped, and many have complained about mechanical issues."

He added, "For the past few days, I have been observing that anyone in the country who opposes E20-blended petrol is being abused by ministers in this government. They are being called anti-nationals, traitors, agents of the petrol lobby, unemployed social activists, and several other names. I want to tell Prime Minister Narendra Modi that such arrogance is not appropriate."

Kejriwal also asserted that people raising concerns over E20 were citizens and should not be labelled negatively.

"All those who are raising concerns about E20 petrol are distressed by its impact. They are our fellow citizens. They are not traitors. They are patriots. It is wrong to abuse them in this manner. I want to tell Prime Minister Narendra Modi that they should not be insulted like this. We live in a democracy. Listen to what they have to say. It is the government's duty to hear their grievances and address them," he added, as per a report by ANI.

With agency inputs