PANAJI
At a townhall in Panjim against the compulsory rollout of E20 petrol, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday declared that the only way to get it cancelled is to defeat the BJP in the upcoming Goa and Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
"If BJP loses on March 10, then by March 15 the E20 fuel policy will be withdrawn," Kejriwal said, adding that he would quit politics if what he predicted does not happen. He warned that 87 per cent of Goans are already affected.
The event at a hotel in Miramar saw participation from AAP's two MLAs -- Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva -- State president Valmiki Naik and other party leaders.
At the townhall, several citizens from across Goa narrated their experiences with E20 fuel including a motorcycle pilot who said his bike stalls frequently and delivers poor mileage. A Swiggy delivery partner also reported working 15-18 hours daily but fuel costs eat into his earnings.
A mechanical engineer from Benaulim described throttle body damage and white powder deposits in superbikes. Another vehicle owner reported a 30 per cent mileage drop, rubber parts damage and fuel leakage. Kejriwal said Goa is disproportionately hit because 87 per cent of families here own two wheelers and 47 per cent own cars which is far above the national average.
He accused the BJP government of misleading Goans into believing E20 has not yet been introduced, even though it was rolled out Statewide on April 1.
He also alleged that automobile manufacturers had privately admitted E20 is unsafe for vehicles made before 2023, but were silenced through threats and cited a withdrawn SIAM study that flagged risks, claiming the Centre pressured the industry body to retract. Kejriwal also linked the policy to sugar shortages, saying diversion of cane for ethanol has pushed sugar prices up by Rs 30 per kg in a month.
He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is acting under pressure from US President Donald Trump to buy ethanol from America, warning that higher ethanol blends like E40 and E100 could follow, worsening damage to vehicles and livelihoods. “The Government will not stop unless people raise their voice against E20 unitedly. The arrogance of BJP needs to be brought down. Goans need to make BJP lose,” Kejriwal said and urged Goans to unite against the E20 fuel policy.
