The protests held at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar might be over. But the fights are not over yet. The recent population of the E20 Janta Party is proof that the youth of the nation is moving onto the next topic to be dealt with, that of the insistent push for ethanol-blended petrol within India.
Within just a short amount of time, the social media pages of the movement have racked up tens of thousands of followers, where they are demanding, under the umbrella of resignation of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, a more transparent petrol policy, especially one where the citizen is allowed to choose what fuel is going inside their vehicle.
After the way that the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) blew up, and their victory at the Delhi protests, the E20 Janta Party has certainly got the attention of many now to see how they will go about their cause.
What Is The E20 Janta Party?
While it is unclear when exactly the E20 Janta Party (EJP) started up, it did start to come under the notice of many just a few hours after the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan came forth.
Social media has also been full of Indian citizens, who have now caught Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari under their purview. With many claiming that ‘it’s your turn next’, the citizens are especially concerned over the push for ethanol-blended fuel that Gadkari has been pushing, along with the silent rollout of it at Indian petrol pumps, replacing regular fuel.
The EJP is thus demanding the resignation of Gadkari, along with a transparent fuel policy that allows the people to at least have a choice between the different fuels and not be forced to only use E20 fuel.
The movement’s official X/Twitter account explained their reason for existing as, “Our motive is simple: to ask legitimate questions and raise genuine public concerns. We are not here to target anyone’s family or personal life. Our focus is only on the E20 petrol blending policy and its impact on vehicles, consumers, and transparency. Please don’t fall for fake news, edited screenshots, or attempts to divert the conversation. Stay focused on the issue.”
In another post, they clarified that the party is not a political party; instead just a movement by independent citizens regarding the E20 push in India.
They wrote, “E20 Janta Party is not a political party.
We are an independent citizens’ movement focused on raising issues that affect the common people. Our only agenda is to ensure transparency, protect consumer rights, and encourage an open public discussion on the real impact of India’s E20 (20% Ethanol Blended Petrol) policy. We do not support or endorse any political party.
Our support is for the people not for any political ideology. Please don’t get distracted by rumors about who is behind this movement or where it is being operated from. Such speculation only takes attention away from the real issue. Our demand is simple: accountability, transparency, and the right of consumers to be heard.”
Their motive seems to be pretty straightforward, that being the ability of Indian citizens to properly choose what petrol is going into their vehicles.
In a July 27 X/Twitter post, they wrote, “Every vehicle deserves the fuel it was designed for. E10-compliant vehicles → E10 fuel. E20-compliant vehicles → E20 fuel. Distribution and logistics are the government’s responsibility not the consumer’s. We paid high GST on our vehicles and registration fees. In return, we expect access to compliant fuel for the entire life of our vehicles.
If compliant fuel cannot be provided, then vehicle manufacturers and policymakers should guarantee and cover any additional repairs or damage linked to incompatible fuel. Supporting farmers and sugar mills should not come at the expense of millions of vehicle owners. Every policy should protect both producers and consumers.”
Read More: Meghalaya’s Byrnihat’s Pollution Crisis Due To Ethanol/Other Factories Shocks Nation: Journalist Exposé
Their E20 campaign has also repurposed the CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s famous tweet “What if all cockroaches come together?” to “What if all bike/car owners come together?” as a call to action.
While their X/Twitter has gotten around 56,000 followers, their Instagram page has gone viral, collecting over 5,30,000 followers in barely any time.
The Wire, in their report, claims that “Several satirical social media posts also described the CJP protests as ‘Season 1’, to be followed by protests against Gadkari.”
However, the underlying grievance, though, goes much before these memes now. The rollout of E20 nationwide, five years ahead of the government’s original schedule, has been a topic of discussion for a while now.
That, along with how it’s affecting vehicles, including reduced mileage, engine wear in older vehicles, and the environmental concerns raised by activists on how ethanol is being produced, has led to a lot of debate. Gadkari, who is being called the ‘face of E20’, has, according to reports, not been as clear as the people would like about these concerns as well.
A Business Today report also writes about how critics have “questioned fuel infrastructure and alleged conflicts of interest involving Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s family, allegations he has denied.”
Recently, Nitin Gadkari was permitted by the Bombay High Court to file a civil defamation suit against Meta and other major social media platforms, alleging that deepfake videos linked to the controversy were being spread about him. Since then, Meta has even publicly apologised for this.
It seems as if the EJP’s rise is not that sudden, since these concerns have been brewing for quite a while now. The momentum that the CJP attained with their protests in Delhi, though, might have given EJP the push needed to start actively raising their voice for their cause.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Firstpost, Hindustan Times, The Wire
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
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