NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday reignited the debate over the Centre’s E20 ethanol-blended fuel programme, claiming that an internal report by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) had flagged high chloride and moisture content in E20 fuel that could damage vehicles.In a video shared on X, Kejriwal alleged that the report was withdrawn under pressure from the Modi government and questioned why the fuel was being “forced” on consumers despite alleged concerns raised by the automobile industry.Referring to the purported SIAM report, Kejriwal claimed it clearly stated that excessive chloride and moisture in E20 fuel were causing damage to vehicles.He also questioned the Centre’s decision to continue promoting E20, saying science and engineering experts had already warned against it.The allegations come amid an ongoing legal battle over social media posts related to the E20 programme.On Wednesday, the Bombay high court granted interim relief to Union minister Nitin Gadkari and directed social media platforms, including Meta, to remove AI-generated deepfakes, manipulated images and other allegedly defamatory posts linking him and his family to the Centre’s E20 ethanol-blending programme.Justice Arif Doctor described the material placed before the court as “absolutely vile” and abusive while hearing Gadkari’s suit against Meta Platforms, X, Google/YouTube, the Union ministry of electronics and information technology, the department of telecommunications and unidentified users.According to Gadkari’s plea, several posts falsely attributed personal responsibility to him for the E20 programme and alleged that he and his family had derived financial benefits from ethanol blending.The court’s interim order applies only to the specific content identified in the suit and does not address the merits of the E20 policy itself.
