New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Harsh Malhotra said on Tuesday that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s only objective on the ethanol-blended (E20) petrol issue is to indulge in petty politics to remain in news.
Malhotra added that Kejriwal is fully aware that ethanol-blended petrol is the need of the hour, yet he chose to stage a drama of marching to the Prime Minister’s residence merely to remain in news.
“Just as I had predicted yesterday, Arvind Kejriwal today claimed that he had been stopped by the police and staged a half-hour protest outside his office. He then handed over five to seven bundles of papers to the police and claimed that he had submitted 233,238 petitions,” he said.
“The reality is that, keeping in mind AAP’s certain defeat in the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, Kejriwal is attempting to revive his political future through social media-driven politics, and his campaign against ethanol-blended petrol is simply the first step in that direction,” he added.
The Delhi BJP President said that vehicle owners across India clearly understand that ethanol-blended petrol is the fuel of the future and will not be misled by Kejriwal.
“That is why, despite repeated challenges, Kejriwal has still been unable to produce even 100 vehicles accompanied by a certified automobile engineer’s report confirming that E20 petrol caused damage to them,” Malhotra added.
He said that it would be better for Kejriwal to stop playing politics over ethanol-blended petrol as, by doing this, he risks losing whatever political relevance he still has.
Earlier, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi also criticised Kejriwal over his protest against E20 fuel, alleging that the former Delhi Chief Minister was making baseless and unfounded allegations without presenting any factual evidence.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Trivedi said, “The former Chief Minister of Delhi (Arvind Kejriwal), carrying the burden of his failed political ambitions, was seen with a handful of supporters, displaying his usual style of theatrics and recklessness while making baseless and unfounded allegations.”
The BJP leader also questioned Kejriwal’s claims and accused him of attempting to create confusion among the public.
“He (arvind Kejriwal) claims to be an IIT graduate, but he often speaks without presenting facts. Earlier, during discussions on vaccines, he had suggested that vaccine formulas should be circulated to everyone. Now, it is even more interesting that he comes from a Mechanical engineering background. All these things indicate that he is trying to create confusion rather than provide clarity,” Trivedi said.
He added that, given Kejriwal’s engineering background, he could have offered a more technical explanation regarding the impact of E20 fuel instead of raising allegations.
–IANS
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