- A digital community called E20 Janta Party opposes ethanol-blend fuel in India
- The party demands the option of 100% original fuel and Nitin Gadkari's resignation
- E20 fuel is petrol blended with 20% ethanol, promoted by the Indian government
A new digital community protesting ethanol-blend fuel is gathering steam on social media after the 'cockroach' movement that saw a rare Gen Z unity in the country over paper leaks.
The 'E20 Janta Party' appears to have modeled itself after the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical political movement born out of a remark by the Chief Justice of India that championed the NEET paper leak cause to become a nationwide movement.
At the filing of the story, the E20 party had 218,000 followers on Instagram, a count that is rising by the second.
The so-called 'party' says it demands the freedom to choose 100% original fuel at a discounted price and the resignation of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who had been facing digital backlash over the E20 fuel.
The government, however, has asserted there is no proposal to return to 'lower standard' unblended fuel.
The petrol available today in India is referred to as E20 since it's blended with 20% ethanol, described by the government as a technologically advanced fuel.
However, critics claim that E20 fuel leads to a drop in mileage and damages vehicle engines.
But the government maintains it is safe and clean and that no laboratory tests or real-world usage have proven that E20 causes any damage or wear and tear to engines.
However, the government admitted that E10-compliant vehicles may see a marginal drop in mileage when using E20 fuel.
The E20 Party's emergence assumes significance after the CJP's success. The CJP withdrew its month-long protest last week after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as education minister, marking a rare successful debut for a surprise outfit.
