Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and other senior leaders were stopped by Delhi Police on Tuesday while marching towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence to submit more than 2.30 lakh petitions against the Centre's E20 petrol policy.
Following the police action, Kejriwal, former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, AAP leader Jasmine Shah, and other party members staged a sit-in protest on Firoz Shah Road.
The AAP had begun the march with around 100 supporters, carrying petitions collected from people across the country against the government's promotion of E20 petrol. The party alleges that ethanol-blended fuel is adversely affecting vehicle performance and increasing costs for owners.
After being stopped, Kejriwal took to X, claiming that the police prevented the delegation from meeting Modi. "Today, we tried to meet Modi ji by collecting more than 2 lakh petitions from the public against E20, but Modi ji's police stopped us. We have sent all the petitions to Modi ji," he wrote.
Before the march, Kejriwal addressed supporters and said the party was carrying over 2.3 lakh petitions signed by people across the country. "We are going to the prime minister's residence with over 2.30 lakh petitions signed by people from across the country. We want the government to listen to the concerns of crores of vehicle owners who are facing problems because of E20 petrol," he said.
According to police sources, the protesters were not allowed to move beyond 5, Firoz Shah Road. "No one will be allowed ahead of 5, Firoz Shah Road. We have deployed adequate security, including Delhi Police and paramilitary forces, to maintain law and order," a police source told PTI.
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The protest comes days after the AAP organised an "Ethanol Town Hall" and launched a nationwide signature campaign against E20 fuel. On Monday, Kejriwal held a national town hall programme outside the Constitution Club, where he raised concerns over the implementation of the E20 policy.
During the event, he placed three demands before the Centre: petrol pumps should offer both E20 and pure petrol, E20 should be priced lower than pure petrol, and the price of petrol should be reduced to below Rs 84 per litre.
Kejriwal had earlier written to the prime minister seeking an appointment to discuss the issue and urged the government to give consumers the option of choosing between pure petrol and E20 at fuel stations. Criticising the policy, Kejriwal alleged that the government was ignoring public concerns.
"People are asking why the government is forcing E20 petrol despite complaints from vehicle owners. We only want people to have the choice of buying pure petrol and E20, and if E20 is being promoted, it should be sold at a lower price," he said.
He further claimed that ethanol-blended petrol was damaging vehicles and reducing fuel efficiency, allegations that the Centre has consistently disputed.
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