AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced on Tuesday, 14 July 2026 that he had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of E20 petrol and would hold a press conference at 12 noon to elaborate on his concerns.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, Kejriwal stated: 'E20 peetrol ke mudde par kal maine Pradhan Mantri ji ko patra likha' — 'Yesterday I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on the issue of E20 petrol. Press conference today at 12 o'clock.' The post offered no further details about the contents of the letter, which the AAP chief said he would disclose at the press conference.

E20 petrol refers to fuel blended with 20 per cent ethanol, a key plank of the central government's Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme. The blend is intended to reduce India's dependence on crude-oil imports, boost farm incomes in the sugar sector, and help meet the country's climate commitments.

Policy Backdrop

India's National Policy on Biofuels, 2018 set out an ambitious roadmap for progressively higher ethanol blending in petrol, beginning at E5 and moving through E10 toward E20. In 2021, the central government advanced the E20 target from 2030 to 2025, signalling urgency and triggering a phased rollout of higher-blend fuel at pumps across the country.

Oil marketing companies and vehicle manufacturers have been adapting supply chains and engine specifications to accommodate the transition. However, the shift has not been without friction: consumer groups and opposition voices have periodically raised questions about mileage loss, engine compatibility for older vehicles, and the pricing of blended fuel relative to standard petrol.

Stakeholders and Impact

The E20 transition touches a wide range of interests. Vehicle owners — particularly those with older engines not optimised for high-ethanol blends — face potential concerns over fuel efficiency and warranty coverage. Ethanol producers, largely drawn from the sugarcane belt, stand to gain from expanded procurement. Oil marketing companies must manage blending logistics, storage and retail pricing across a vast distribution network.

Kejriwal, as former Chief Minister of Delhi — a megacity with one of India's largest vehicle populations — has a direct constituency interest in how E20 affects everyday commuters and auto-rickshaw and taxi operators who depend on petrol-run engines.

What's Next

The contents of Kejriwal's letter to the Prime Minister and the specific objections or demands he intends to raise remain to be disclosed at the 12 noon press conference. Observers will watch whether he calls for a rollback or slowdown of the E20 rollout, demands consumer safeguards such as mileage compensation or engine-compatibility guarantees, or flags pricing concerns for lower-income vehicle users.

A formal response from the Prime Minister's Office or the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to the letter, and any resulting changes to the E20 implementation schedule or vehicle warranty guidelines, will be the key markers of whether the political intervention carries policy weight.