Kejriwal raises E20 stakes, says will take 100 people unafraid of lathis to PM's home on August 4
Stepping up his campaign against E20 petrol, AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said he will march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence on August 4 to submit a petition signed by over two lakh people against the Centre's E20 policy. Kejriwal said he would be taking 100 people unafraid of lathis with him.
Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced that he would walk towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence on August 4 (Tuesday) with a group of 100 people "who are not afraid of lathis" to submit printouts of petitions signed by more than two lakh citizens against the Centre's E20 petrol policy.
The declaration came at the end of his National Town Hall Against E20 at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on Saturday, where he linked the rollout of 20% ethanol-blended fuel to a recent India-US trade deal and alleged that the policy was being imposed "to keep America happy". AAP leaders flagged the heavy presence of Rapid Action Force and Delhi Police personnel outside the venue.
Delhi recently saw huge protests over the NEET-UG paper leak issue. Dhamrmendra Pradhan had to resign as the Union Education Minister after a police crackdown on protesters on July 20 made the crowds swell.
Addressing a large gathering that people had also joined in virtually, Kejriwal said the online petition launched a few days earlier had already crossed two lakh signatures. "I have taken printouts of them. On Tuesday, August 4, at noon, I will personally go towards the Prime Minister's residence to submit all those petitions. There is no need for everyone to come. I will take 100 such people with me who are not afraid of lathis," he said, inviting volunteers to tag him and write to him if they wished to join the march.
This came even as activist Tehseen Poonawalla faced house arrest in New Delhi. Poonawalla had planned a march to Gandhi Smriti and a day-long hunger strike against the Centre's implementation of the E20 programme.
KEJRIWAL'S THREE DEMANDS ON E20 PETROL
The AAP leader listed three clear demands that received vocal support from the audience.
First, motorists must be given a choice at petrol pumps between pure petrol and E20 so that the market can decide. The second demand was pure petrol should be priced lower than E20, which has 20% ethanol in petrol. The third demand was that petrol should be sold at less than Rs 84 a litre. "Do you accept these three demands? So today we make these three demands," Kejriwal said, urging the Prime Minister to discuss the matter in the Cabinet and withdraw the decision.
Kejriwal argued that ethanol was costlier than petrol once taxes are removed, delivers lower mileage because of its lower caloric value, does not save foreign exchange as claimed, and has left farmers near ethanol plants suffering from water scarcity, pollution and damaged land.
The AAP leader rejected suggestions that the policy was meant to benefit Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's family, saying he did not believe PM Modi was acting for that reason. Instead, he claimed a recently signed India-US trade deal requiring India to buy $100 billion of American goods over five years was the real driver.
America, the world's largest ethanol producer with limited domestic demand, was finding a market in India, Kejriwal said. Imports, according to him, had already risen sharply and were set to jump five-fold this year to five billion litres, almost entirely from the United States, costing India billions of dollars.
"To keep America happy, ethanol is being forcibly imposed on our country," Kejriwal said, adding that ordinary vehicle owners were paying the price.
HEAVY RAF, CRPF PRESENCE OUTSIDE AAP'S NATIONAL TOWNHALL VENUE
Outside the Constitution Club, a heavy security presence was already in place before the Town Hall began. AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj, speaking in a video posted on X, said Rapid Action Force personnel, CRPF, Delhi Police and women officers had been deployed in large numbers. "Hundreds, and perhaps even thousands, of Rapid Action Force, CRPF and Delhi Police have arrived. All of them are fully present in front of the Constitution Club hall," he said.
The E20 issue has gained political momentum after the recent Cockroach Janta Party agitation forced the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
Kejriwal repeatedly invoked that success, telling the crowd that once citizens lose their fear of police action and jail, "the throne begins to shake". He urged people across the country to post videos, tag him and amplify the campaign, declaring that agencies such as the ED, CBI and Income Tax would prove inadequate if 140 crore Indians raised their voice together.
TEHSEEN POONAWALLA SAYS HE'S UNDER HOUSE ARREST
Separately, activist Tehseen Poonawalla, who had planned a silent march to Gandhi Smriti followed by a hunger strike against the same E20 policy, claimed he was placed under house arrest by Delhi Police on Saturday morning. In videos posted from his residence, Poonawalla showed police personnel, including women officers, stationed at his door and questioned an officer about the absence of any formal order.
"An entire battalion of Delhi Police, including women officers, has put me under house arrest! Nitin Gadkari is scared of ethanol," he wrote on X. Poonawalla has been a vocal critic of the ethanol-blending programme and of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for weeks. His earlier plan for a larger march near Parliament Street had been called off after Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met his representatives and sought more time.
Vehicle owners and several organisations have complained that the rapid shift to E20 has reduced fuel efficiency, affected engine performance and raised maintenance costs, even as the Centre maintains that the blend does not damage vehicles though a drop in mileage is possible. With Kejriwal now taking the issue to the Prime Minister's doorstep and Poonawalla's protest disrupted by alleged house arrest, the ethanol-blending programme is shaping up as the next political flashpoint in New Delhi.
Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced that he would walk towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence on August 4 (Tuesday) with a group of 100 people "who are not afraid of lathis" to submit printouts of petitions signed by more than two lakh citizens against the Centre's E20 petrol policy.
The declaration came at the end of his National Town Hall Against E20 at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on Saturday, where he linked the rollout of 20% ethanol-blended fuel to a recent India-US trade deal and alleged that the policy was being imposed "to keep America happy". AAP leaders flagged the heavy presence of Rapid Action Force and Delhi Police personnel outside the venue.
Delhi recently saw huge protests over the NEET-UG paper leak issue. Dhamrmendra Pradhan had to resign as the Union Education Minister after a police crackdown on protesters on July 20 made the crowds swell.
Addressing a large gathering that people had also joined in virtually, Kejriwal said the online petition launched a few days earlier had already crossed two lakh signatures. "I have taken printouts of them. On Tuesday, August 4, at noon, I will personally go towards the Prime Minister's residence to submit all those petitions. There is no need for everyone to come. I will take 100 such people with me who are not afraid of lathis," he said, inviting volunteers to tag him and write to him if they wished to join the march.
This came even as activist Tehseen Poonawalla faced house arrest in New Delhi. Poonawalla had planned a march to Gandhi Smriti and a day-long hunger strike against the Centre's implementation of the E20 programme.
KEJRIWAL'S THREE DEMANDS ON E20 PETROL
The AAP leader listed three clear demands that received vocal support from the audience.
First, motorists must be given a choice at petrol pumps between pure petrol and E20 so that the market can decide. The second demand was pure petrol should be priced lower than E20, which has 20% ethanol in petrol. The third demand was that petrol should be sold at less than Rs 84 a litre. "Do you accept these three demands? So today we make these three demands," Kejriwal said, urging the Prime Minister to discuss the matter in the Cabinet and withdraw the decision.
Kejriwal argued that ethanol was costlier than petrol once taxes are removed, delivers lower mileage because of its lower caloric value, does not save foreign exchange as claimed, and has left farmers near ethanol plants suffering from water scarcity, pollution and damaged land.
The AAP leader rejected suggestions that the policy was meant to benefit Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's family, saying he did not believe PM Modi was acting for that reason. Instead, he claimed a recently signed India-US trade deal requiring India to buy $100 billion of American goods over five years was the real driver.
America, the world's largest ethanol producer with limited domestic demand, was finding a market in India, Kejriwal said. Imports, according to him, had already risen sharply and were set to jump five-fold this year to five billion litres, almost entirely from the United States, costing India billions of dollars.
"To keep America happy, ethanol is being forcibly imposed on our country," Kejriwal said, adding that ordinary vehicle owners were paying the price.
HEAVY RAF, CRPF PRESENCE OUTSIDE AAP'S NATIONAL TOWNHALL VENUE
Outside the Constitution Club, a heavy security presence was already in place before the Town Hall began. AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj, speaking in a video posted on X, said Rapid Action Force personnel, CRPF, Delhi Police and women officers had been deployed in large numbers. "Hundreds, and perhaps even thousands, of Rapid Action Force, CRPF and Delhi Police have arrived. All of them are fully present in front of the Constitution Club hall," he said.
The E20 issue has gained political momentum after the recent Cockroach Janta Party agitation forced the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
Kejriwal repeatedly invoked that success, telling the crowd that once citizens lose their fear of police action and jail, "the throne begins to shake". He urged people across the country to post videos, tag him and amplify the campaign, declaring that agencies such as the ED, CBI and Income Tax would prove inadequate if 140 crore Indians raised their voice together.
TEHSEEN POONAWALLA SAYS HE'S UNDER HOUSE ARREST
Separately, activist Tehseen Poonawalla, who had planned a silent march to Gandhi Smriti followed by a hunger strike against the same E20 policy, claimed he was placed under house arrest by Delhi Police on Saturday morning. In videos posted from his residence, Poonawalla showed police personnel, including women officers, stationed at his door and questioned an officer about the absence of any formal order.
"An entire battalion of Delhi Police, including women officers, has put me under house arrest! Nitin Gadkari is scared of ethanol," he wrote on X. Poonawalla has been a vocal critic of the ethanol-blending programme and of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for weeks. His earlier plan for a larger march near Parliament Street had been called off after Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met his representatives and sought more time.
Vehicle owners and several organisations have complained that the rapid shift to E20 has reduced fuel efficiency, affected engine performance and raised maintenance costs, even as the Centre maintains that the blend does not damage vehicles though a drop in mileage is possible. With Kejriwal now taking the issue to the Prime Minister's doorstep and Poonawalla's protest disrupted by alleged house arrest, the ethanol-blending programme is shaping up as the next political flashpoint in New Delhi.
Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced that he would walk towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence on August 4 (Tuesday) with a group of 100 people "who are not afraid of lathis" to submit printouts of petitions signed by more than two lakh citizens against the Centre's E20 petrol policy.
The declaration came at the end of his National Town Hall Against E20 at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on Saturday, where he linked the rollout of 20% ethanol-blended fuel to a recent India-US trade deal and alleged that the policy was being imposed "to keep America happy". AAP leaders flagged the heavy presence of Rapid Action Force and Delhi Police personnel outside the venue.
Delhi recently saw huge protests over the NEET-UG paper leak issue. Dhamrmendra Pradhan had to resign as the Union Education Minister after a police crackdown on protesters on July 20 made the crowds swell.
Addressing a large gathering that people had also joined in virtually, Kejriwal said the online petition launched a few days earlier had already crossed two lakh signatures. "I have taken printouts of them. On Tuesday, August 4, at noon, I will personally go towards the Prime Minister's residence to submit all those petitions. There is no need for everyone to come. I will take 100 such people with me who are not afraid of lathis," he said, inviting volunteers to tag him and write to him if they wished to join the march.
This came even as activist Tehseen Poonawalla faced house arrest in New Delhi. Poonawalla had planned a march to Gandhi Smriti and a day-long hunger strike against the Centre's implementation of the E20 programme.
KEJRIWAL'S THREE DEMANDS ON E20 PETROL
The AAP leader listed three clear demands that received vocal support from the audience.
First, motorists must be given a choice at petrol pumps between pure petrol and E20 so that the market can decide. The second demand was pure petrol should be priced lower than E20, which has 20% ethanol in petrol. The third demand was that petrol should be sold at less than Rs 84 a litre. "Do you accept these three demands? So today we make these three demands," Kejriwal said, urging the Prime Minister to discuss the matter in the Cabinet and withdraw the decision.
Kejriwal argued that ethanol was costlier than petrol once taxes are removed, delivers lower mileage because of its lower caloric value, does not save foreign exchange as claimed, and has left farmers near ethanol plants suffering from water scarcity, pollution and damaged land.
The AAP leader rejected suggestions that the policy was meant to benefit Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's family, saying he did not believe PM Modi was acting for that reason. Instead, he claimed a recently signed India-US trade deal requiring India to buy $100 billion of American goods over five years was the real driver.
America, the world's largest ethanol producer with limited domestic demand, was finding a market in India, Kejriwal said. Imports, according to him, had already risen sharply and were set to jump five-fold this year to five billion litres, almost entirely from the United States, costing India billions of dollars.
"To keep America happy, ethanol is being forcibly imposed on our country," Kejriwal said, adding that ordinary vehicle owners were paying the price.
HEAVY RAF, CRPF PRESENCE OUTSIDE AAP'S NATIONAL TOWNHALL VENUE
Outside the Constitution Club, a heavy security presence was already in place before the Town Hall began. AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj, speaking in a video posted on X, said Rapid Action Force personnel, CRPF, Delhi Police and women officers had been deployed in large numbers. "Hundreds, and perhaps even thousands, of Rapid Action Force, CRPF and Delhi Police have arrived. All of them are fully present in front of the Constitution Club hall," he said.
The E20 issue has gained political momentum after the recent Cockroach Janta Party agitation forced the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
Kejriwal repeatedly invoked that success, telling the crowd that once citizens lose their fear of police action and jail, "the throne begins to shake". He urged people across the country to post videos, tag him and amplify the campaign, declaring that agencies such as the ED, CBI and Income Tax would prove inadequate if 140 crore Indians raised their voice together.
TEHSEEN POONAWALLA SAYS HE'S UNDER HOUSE ARREST
Separately, activist Tehseen Poonawalla, who had planned a silent march to Gandhi Smriti followed by a hunger strike against the same E20 policy, claimed he was placed under house arrest by Delhi Police on Saturday morning. In videos posted from his residence, Poonawalla showed police personnel, including women officers, stationed at his door and questioned an officer about the absence of any formal order.
"An entire battalion of Delhi Police, including women officers, has put me under house arrest! Nitin Gadkari is scared of ethanol," he wrote on X. Poonawalla has been a vocal critic of the ethanol-blending programme and of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for weeks. His earlier plan for a larger march near Parliament Street had been called off after Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met his representatives and sought more time.
Vehicle owners and several organisations have complained that the rapid shift to E20 has reduced fuel efficiency, affected engine performance and raised maintenance costs, even as the Centre maintains that the blend does not damage vehicles though a drop in mileage is possible. With Kejriwal now taking the issue to the Prime Minister's doorstep and Poonawalla's protest disrupted by alleged house arrest, the ethanol-blending programme is shaping up as the next political flashpoint in New Delhi.
