AAP Attacks Centre's E20 Fuel Rollout, Demands Manufacturer Assurances

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday escalated its attack on the Centre over the rollout of E20 ethanol-blended fuel by sharing a mock "BJP Petrol Pump" receipt on social media, alleging that motorists were being made to pay the full price for fuel while being forced to accept lower mileage and possible engine wear.

The graphic, styled as a fuel station receipt, described the product as "E20 Premium Receipt" and claimed the blend contained "Petrol 80%" and "Ethanol 20%". It also carried lines such as "Customer Choice 0%", "Price Reduction Rs 0.00", "Mileage Impact 20-30%", "Extra Maintenance Possible" and concluded with "TOTAL CHARGED Full petrol price" and "TOTAL VALUE Reduced mileage". Another line read, "Terms and conditions not explained".

The post comes a day after AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal launched a fresh offensive against the Centre's ethanol blending policy, demanding written assurances from leading automobile manufacturers that the use of E20 fuel would neither reduce vehicle mileage nor damage engines.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Kejriwal said he would write to Maruti Suzuki, Toyota Kirloskar and Hero MotoCorp, claiming their public statements on E20 fuel were inconsistent with the guidance provided in their vehicle owner manuals.

"I will write letters to all of them... I will tell them that your owner manual says one thing, but you are saying something else. Give in writing that if the mileage of your vehicle drops by more than 10 per cent, will you compensate the customer," Kejriwal said.

He also questioned whether the companies would compensate customers if E20 fuel caused damage to vehicle components.

"If using E20 ethanol in your vehicle damages the vehicle or causes wear and tear, will you compensate for the replacement of those components?," Kejriwal added.

There was no immediate response from Maruti Suzuki, Toyota Kirloskar or Hero MotoCorp.

Continuing his criticism of the Centre's ethanol blending policy, the former Delhi chief minister alleged that the government was misleading people by claiming India was not the first country to adopt ethanol-blended fuel.

"This is only half the truth. In those countries, the ethanol blend is generally below E10. Ordinary vehicles can use up to E10, but not beyond that," he said.

Kejriwal also alleged that the Centre had asked automobile manufacturers to publicly endorse the use of E20 fuel.

"On July 3, the central government reportedly called representatives of six automobile manufacturers and asked them to hold a press conference to tell the public that E20 fuel is perfectly fine. The six companies are Maruti Suzuki, Toyota Kirloskar, Hero MotoCorp, Hyundai Motor, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company. They were reportedly told to address the media and reassure the public that E20 fuel is suitable for use," Kejriwal alleged.

He further said he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the government to make E20 fuel optional and allow consumers to choose between different fuel blends.

"Next week, I will write to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, why should the public suffer for your misadventure? Tell us who will pay the penalty if our mileage drops or our vehicles are damaged -- your government or the company?" he said.

Kejriwal also appealed to the Centre to offer consumers a choice at fuel stations.

"With folded hands, I request Modi ji to agree to the demand of the public to give them an option -where all variants of fuel, be it E20, E10 or E0 -all are made available at petrol pumps at separate pricing," he said.