Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday criticised the Centre’s rollout of E20 petrol, alleging that the government was forcing 20% ethanol-blended fuel on citizens despite complaints about reduced mileage and vehicle damage.AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal. (Hindustan Times)Addressing the issue through a video statement and social media posts, Kejriwal claimed that people across the country were reporting problems such as engines stalling, corrosion and reduced fuel efficiency due to ethanol-blended petrol.Kejriwal questions Centre’s ‘experiment’ claimReferring to submissions allegedly made by the Attorney General before the Supreme Court, Kejriwal said the Centre had initially described E20 fuel as an “experiment” but later denied making such a statement.“The Central Government first told the Supreme Court that this is only an experiment. Later, it completely denied having said any such thing,” he said.Kejriwal argued that if the government intended to test ethanol-blended petrol, the exercise should first have been conducted on a limited number of vehicles before being expanded nationwide.“An experiment is first conducted on 50, 100, 500 or 1,000 vehicles. Based on the outcome of that experiment, a decision is taken on whether it should be implemented across the country,” he said.The former Delhi chief minister also questioned whether the government would compensate vehicle owners if engines or vehicle parts were damaged because of the fuel.AAP chief demands lower prices for blended fuelKejriwal alleged that E20 petrol was reducing vehicle mileage by nearly 30%, increasing fuel expenses for consumers. He cited statements attributed to an executive director at Bharat Petroleum Chemical Limited regarding lower mileage due to ethanol’s chemical properties.“When the government’s own expert is saying mileage falls by 30%, then ethanol-blended petrol should also be 30% cheaper,” he said.He further alleged that many vehicle owners were complaining of engine damage and corrosion linked to the fuel blend.Kejriwal said he would soon write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding withdrawal of E20 petrol and invited citizens to share suggestions through comments and direct messages about what should be included in the letter.What the Centre saidThe Centre told the Supreme Court that India’s ethanol blending programme is still being carried out on an experimental basis, and its full impact would become clearer only by next year. Appearing for the government, Attorney General R Venkataramani argued that any change in the current allocation system could disrupt the national policy aimed at achieving 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol.The government also informed the court that ethanol supply contracts for 2025-26 had already been finalised in October 2025, with allocations made to 378 suppliers for over 1,050 crore litres. According to the Centre, a significant portion of the allocated ethanol has already been supplied, and altering the allocation process now could affect the implementation of the nationwide E20 fuel rollout.