New Delhi: This social media initiative is being created as a new movement known as the ‘E20 Janta Party’ and is fast gaining traction in India. Following the accomplishment of the recently formed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the movement is now mulling over the country’s ethanol blending policy and asking the government to provide E20 fuel along with pure petrol at petrol pumps.
In just a few days, thousands of people have followed this campaign on Instagram and X (Twitter), among other social media. The E20 Janta Party is also adopting the tactic of the CJP movement and creating memes along with short videos and social media posts to spread its message and connect more youths.
The organization, though, says it does not have an aversion to ethanol blending, as some detractors claim. Rather, it wants to leave options open for vehicle owners to decide what fuel they want to propel their car with. The campaign claims that many drivers have concerns over the impact of E20 fuel in their cars, fuel efficiency, maintenance, and long-term engine performance concerns. The group also wants petrol pumps to display clear fuel labeling, so that consumers can be informed what they are buying.
In addition to this, another big demand of the E20 Janta Party is for the resignation of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari ahead of the government’s ethanol-blending scheme, which has been strongly supported by him. The campaign says there is a lack of transparency and too few choices for consumers when it comes to gas.
The movement has come exactly a few days after the Cockroach Janta Party, which has been an active and top-of-the-mind issue since last month, when its protest against the NEET-UG paper leak gained momentum. That campaign has made other citizen-led online campaigns possible to begin successful conversations on other controversial public issues. Although there is no known link between the campaigning organizations, there is an evident resemblance in the way these organizations campaign online, something the E20 Janta Party seems to have tried to follow.
The issue of E20 petrol has been steadily gaining momentum over recent months. E20 fuel with 80% petrol and 20% ethanol was introduced across the country to cut down the import of crude oil, cut down emissions and help promote better quality fuels. Ethanol blending is an important measure for achieving energy security and environmental sustainability, which has been encouraged by the government.
But a few vehicle owners and transport organizations have expressed worries about the ease of use of E20 and the compatibility of older cars with the E20 petrol. The government has reiterated that there is no proof that extensive damage has been done to engines as a result of using E20 fuel. No plans have also been announced to increase ethanol blending beyond 20%, and stakeholders’ considerations will be taken into account in any decision that is made in the future in respect of ethanol blending.
The debate on E20 petrol will probably be on the agenda as the online campaign grows its followers. It’s still unclear if that’ll lead to any policies changing, but at least it’s gotten the debate about consumer choice and fuel transparency onto the national agenda.
