'Illiterate government': Kejriwal takes aim at Centre over E20 fuel policy, sugar prices

NEW DELHI: AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday stepped up his criticism of the Centre’s ethanol policy, linking the use of sugarcane for ethanol production to the recent rise in sugar prices and accusing the government of creating a supply problem.

In a post on X, Kejriwal said the government had promoted ethanol production from sugarcane to reduce foreign exchange spending on crude oil imports, but was now considering sugar imports because of tighter domestic supplies. “To save the foreign exchange spent on oil imports, they started making ethanol from sugarcane. As a result, there has been a shortage of sugar. Now, they will import sugar using that foreign exchange,” he said.


Kejriwal also attacked the government over its handling of the issue, saying, “It's a government entirely run by illiterates. No one knows what will happen if they do something.”

His comments come amid a sharp rise in domestic sugar prices and reports that the government is considering measures, including limited imports and tighter stockholding limits, to improve supplies ahead of the festival season.

The former Delhi chief minister has also been leading the AAP’s campaign against E20 petrol, alleging that the government is trying to silence criticism of the ethanol-blended fuel policy. In a video posted on X, Kejriwal claimed that social media content critical of E20 was being removed and questioned how public concerns could be suppressed.

“Anyone who raises a voice against E20...their page (is) taken down, their video deleted... FIR filed against them... How will you suppress 1.40 crore people?” he said.

Kejriwal used a joke about police forces from the US, Russia and India searching for a lion to criticise the government’s handling of the E20 debate. He said people were being pressured to accept that “E20 is right”.

AAP has sought greater disclosure of fuel-quality and vehicle-compatibility testing and has argued that consumers should have a choice of conventional petrol at fuel stations.

Centre rejects mileage link

The government has maintained that E20 cannot by itself be blamed for changes in vehicle mileage.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Saturday that E20 had undergone extensive testing and validation, while stressing that real-world fuel economy is affected by factors including driving habits, traffic conditions, vehicle maintenance, tyre pressure and air-conditioner use.

“Mileage depends on more than fuel alone. Driving habits, traffic, vehicle maintenance, tyre pressure and AC usage all play a role,” the ministry said.

“E20 has undergone extensive testing and validation, while real-world mileage depends on the overall driving and vehicle conditions,” it added.
Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.