NEW DELHI: Police on Monday detained Congress workers protesting against the Centre’s ethanol-blended fuel policy outside Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s residence in Nagpur.“We condemn E20 being imposed on us. We will continue to fight,” said youth congress leader Mehul Adwani.The protest march began at Chitnavis Park Square in Mahal and proceeded towards Gadkari’s private residence in the same locality, with Youth Congress workers raising slogans against the use of E20 ethanol-blended fuel, calling it unviable.A heavy police presence was deployed near the Union minister’s residence, with barricades erected along the route. Some protesters attempted to climb over the barricades to continue the march before being stopped by the police.The Congress has been targeting Gadkari over the nationwide rollout of E20 fuel, arguing that his statement in Parliament on July 29 raised more questions than it answered.Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday said Gadkari had maintained that E20 petrol was introduced after years of scientific testing and that there was no evidence of widespread damage to vehicles caused by the fuel.“For months now, consumers and mechanics across the country have been reporting: reduced mileage; engine performance issues; concerns over the long-term impact of E20 fuel on their vehicles; engine compatibility, cold-start problems, and accelerated wear and tear in pre-2023 vehicles; increasing instances of clogged injectors, corroded fuel lines and cracked rubber components in older vehicles,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
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AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said he would lead a march to prime minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Tuesday with 100 people to submit petitions opposing E20 fuel. He alleged that the Centre was promoting ethanol-blended fuel under pressure from US President Donald Trump.Kejriwal further claimed that India had “yielded” to Trump by agreeing to import ethanol from the United States and alleged that the government’s continued push for E20 petrol pointed to a “hidden agenda”.
