NEW DELHI: The protests over ethanol-blending were drowned out by the paper leak agitation that ended in Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Emboldened, E20 protesters are now planning a march to Parliament Street. A recent survey claims 60% of pre-2023 vehicle owners are facing issues.
The sparks were visible even during the final days of the CJP’s protest. The site at Jantar Mantar was no longer occupied solely by students demanding accountability and the resignation of Pradhan over the NEET controversy. One after another, activists and groups raised concerns ranging from women’s reservation in Parliament and unemployment to an issue that until recently had largely remained confined to automobile forums and transport associations, the Centre’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme.
With the CJP claiming victory after Pradhan’s resignation on Saturday (July 25), activists opposing mandatory ethanol blending believe they have found both momentum and a template.
Their central demand is not the withdrawal of ethanol-blended fuel altogether. Instead, they want consumers to be given a choice — E20 for compatible vehicles, E10 for older compliant vehicles and pure petrol (E0) for those who prefer it.
The sparks were visible even during the final days of the CJP’s protest. The site at Jantar Mantar was no longer occupied solely by students demanding accountability and the resignation of Pradhan over the NEET controversy. One after another, activists and groups raised concerns ranging from women’s reservation in Parliament and unemployment to an issue that until recently had largely remained confined to automobile forums and transport associations, the Centre’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme.
With the CJP claiming victory after Pradhan’s resignation on Saturday (July 25), activists opposing mandatory ethanol blending believe they have found both momentum and a template.
Their central demand is not the withdrawal of ethanol-blended fuel altogether. Instead, they want consumers to be given a choice — E20 for compatible vehicles, E10 for older compliant vehicles and pure petrol (E0) for those who prefer it.
Multiple signs indicate that the ethanol-blended petrol issue might only gather more steam in the coming days. An E20 Janta Party has come up on the lines of the Cockroach Janta Party. Team Bharat, led by activist Tehseen Poonawalla, has planned a march to Parliament Street on July 31. Delhi Taxi and Tourist Transporters and Tour Operators Association has announced a march to Parliament on the issue on August 4. This even as a survey by LocalCircles claims that 60% of pre-2023 vehicle owners are reporting a mileage-drop issue.
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal has also announced that the party would be holding a ‘National Townhall Against E20’ movement against the ethanol blending policy on August 1.
Protesters are seeking the resignations of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who has become the face of the ethanol policy, and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, under whom the policy is being initiated.
On Monday, Gadkari approached the Bombay High Court against alleged defamatory posts and deepfake content linking him and his family to profits from the E20 ethanol programme.
