Arvind Kejriwal accuses Centre of forcing SIAM to withdraw report on ethanol

Aam Aadmi Party AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused the Centre of forcing the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers SIAM to withdraw a communication related to E20 fuel alleging that the government was pushing ethanol blending despite scientific concerns The Bharatiya Janata Party BJP however rejected the allegations citing SIAMs clarification that its earlier communication had been taken out of contextKejriwal alleges Centre suppressed technical concernsIn a post on X Kejriwal alleged that the Centre had pressured SIAM into withdrawing its earlier communication on ethanolrelated fuel quality issuesU forced SIAM to withdraw their report Typical Modi style GundagardiU forced SIAM to withdraw their report Typical Modi style Gundagardi Modi ji never respected science engg or research He only serves his hidden agenda Here he is under pressure from Trump to buy ethanol from US Unable to withstand that pressure he is bulldozing ethanolhellip httpstco7KipUGAr2tmdash Arvind Kejriwal ArvindKejriwal August 6 2026He further claimed Modi ji never respected science engg or research He only serves his hidden agenda Here he is under pressure from Trump to buy ethanol from the US Unable to withstand that pressure he is bulldozing ethanol on the whole country against all scientific evidenceKejriwal did not provide evidence to support his allegations regarding external pressure or the governments decisionmaking processBJP cites SIAM clarification dismisses allegationsResponding to Kejriwals remarks BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya referred to SIAMs official clarification and accused the AAP leader of spreading misinformation about Indias ethanol blending programmeIn a post on X Malviya said Arvind Kejriwals propaganda has collapsed The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers SIAM has categorically clarified that selective excerpts from its internal communication were taken out of context to create a misleading narrative around fuel quality and E20 The fearmongering campaign against E20 was built on selective leaks and halftruths SIAMs clarification exposes that misinformation and reaffirms confidence in Indias ethanol blending programme which strengthens energy security reduces oil imports and benefits farmersSIAM says communication was part of routine discussionsOn August 5 SIAM issued a detailed clarification after media reports cited portions of an internal communication relating to chloride and sulphur content in E20 fuelThe industry body said fuel quality testing under the existing regulatory framework is a comprehensive process involving more than 150 parameters and is carried out by oil marketing companies OMCsAccording to SIAM the communication referred to in media reports was part of routine technical discussions among industry stakeholders including automobile manufacturers OMCs testing agencies and industry associationsThe organisation added that Some numbers quoted in the communication need authentication through collection of elaborate data from various regions across the country followed by a comprehensive consultation with our member OEMsIndustry body reiterates support for E20 programmeSIAM also noted that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas MoPNG has prescribed precautionary guidelines of 3 ppm for chloride and sulphur in ethanol blended into the petrol supply chainThe industry body said these measures adequately address the automobile sectors requirements and added that OMCs conduct regular quality checks including water ingress testing 8 to 12 times a day at more than 87000 fuel outlets with additional checks after rainfall near petrol pumpsReiterating its support for the governments ethanol blending initiative SIAM said the programme is important from the perspective of Indias energy security It added that there was no cause for concern over the issues highlighted in media reports as such technical matters have been routinely addressed between the automobile industry and OMCs over the yearsSIAM further stated that the figures referred to in the media required verification and therefore it was withdrawing its earlier communication while urging media organisations and stakeholders to consider the full context in future reporting