Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday accused the Centre of “forcibly imposing” E20 petrol across the country despite opposition from vehicle owners, alleging that the government pressured automobile manufacturers to publicly endorse the fuel’s safety.

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal claimed that on July 3, the Centre asked six leading automobile manufacturers to participate in a press conference and declare that E20 petrol is safe for vehicles.

He alleged that Maruti Suzuki, Toyota Kirloskar and Hero MotoCorp stated at the event that E20 petrol is safe even for older vehicles and would result in only a 5-7 per cent drop in fuel efficiency.

Questioning these claims, Kejriwal said Toyota’s official owner manual permits the use of only E10 fuel, which contains up to 10 per cent ethanol.

He further alleged that the manual advises customers to switch back to E0 petrol if even E10 fuel causes any decline in vehicle performance or fuel efficiency.

“When the companies’ own official documents prescribe a maximum limit of E10, how can they publicly claim that E20 is completely safe?” Kejriwal asked.

The former Delhi Chief Minister alleged that promoting E20 as safe from a government platform, despite owner manuals cautioning against ethanol blends above 10 per cent, amounted to misleading consumers.

Kejriwal also said he would write to Maruti Suzuki, Toyota Kirloskar and Hero MotoCorp, alleging that their public statements on E20 fuel were inconsistent with the guidance provided in their official owner manuals.

The Union Government has maintained that vehicles designed or certified as E20-compatible can safely run on the fuel. Several automobile manufacturers have also introduced E20-compliant models in line with the government’s ethanol-blending programme.