Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday intensified his campaign against the Centre’s E20 fuel policy, demanding that consumers be given the option to choose between pure petrol and E20 at fuel stations. He also announced that he would march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on August 4 to submit over two lakh petitions opposing the move.Addressing a gathering at the Constitution Club here, Kejriwal urged the Centre to sell both pure petrol and E20 at fuel stations, make E20 cheaper than pure petrol and reduce petrol prices to below Rs 84 per litre. He claimed more than seven lakh people participated in the event online and offline.Announcing the next phase of the campaign, Kejriwal said he would leave for the Prime Minister’s residence at noon on August 4 with a group of 100 people to hand over printouts of more than two lakh online petitions signed against E20.“I hope we will be allowed to go up to the same point where the Leader of the Opposition was allowed,” he said, adding that only those “not afraid of police lathis or going to jail” should accompany him. The former Delhi Chief Minister alleged that the Centre was “forcibly imposing” E20 fuel and claimed the policy would damage vehicles that were not designed for higher ethanol blends. He advised people against buying petrol or diesel vehicles until vehicles compatible with E100 fuel become available and instead suggested purchasing electric vehicles.BJP: Show proof of vehicle damageChallenging Kejriwal to produce evidence of vehicle damage due to E20, Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra said ethanol use could save nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in foreign exchange while increasing sugarcane farmers’ income by around Rs 50,000Kejriwal alleged that India imported around one billion litres of ethanol from the US last year and claimed imports could rise fivefold following the rollout of E20.He also claimed that ethanol was more expensive than petrol, reduced vehicle mileage and did not significantly benefit farmers, while questioning the government’s rationale for promoting higher ethanol blending.Kejriwal said he had written to 29 automobile manufacturers seeking clarification on whether vehicles manufactured before 2023 were compatible with E20 fuel and whether companies would compensate owners if their vehicles suffered damage. He claimed that while none replied in writing, representatives of some companies privately expressed concerns over using E20 in older vehicles. These claims could not be independently verified.The AAP leader further alleged that people raising concerns over E20 were being threatened with legal action and reiterated his demand for a public scientific discussion on the policy.Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra dismissed Arvind Kejriwal’s criticism of E20 fuel, saying his statements raised doubts about his claimed IIT education. Challenging the AAP chief to produce evidence of vehicle damage due to E20, Malhotra said ethanol-blended petrol helped reduce fuel imports, improved air quality and boosted farmers’ income. He claimed India spent over Rs 16 lakh crore annually on fuel imports and that wider ethanol use could save nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in foreign exchange while increasing sugarcane farmers’ income by around Rs 50,000 crore.Responding to Kejriwal’s criticism of ethanol-blended fuel, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya dismissed allegations of a “massive mileage loss” as scientifically unfounded. He emphasised that there was no credible evidence from vehicle testing or real-world usage to support claims that E20 significantly reduces fuel efficiency.