Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that the blending of E20 – 20 per cent of Ethanol – into Petrol has turned into 420. Hitting out at the government, the Congress leader said alleged it of stealing petrol from public cars, questioning the Centre who is actually benefitting. Rahul’s fresh attack comes after Karnataka government claimed that petrol sold at some retail outlets in the state contained up to 31 per cent ethanol, saying the findings were not based on testing carried out under the prescribed procedures.
The Karnataka government alleged that major oil marketing companies were supplying petrol with ethanol content above the prescribed 20 per cent limit, with tests recording levels as high as 31.2 per cent, and sought action against the companies. Karnataka minister, Rizwan Arshad, further added to this claim and said that the allegations were based on tests on petrol samples collected from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru.
Pitching into the controversy, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of stealing petrol from public cars. Taking to X, he wrote, “The Modi government says – petrol contains 20% ethanol. The Karnataka government collected petrol samples from 7 districts and had them tested at an accredited lab. Look at the results.”
- 11 out of 14 samples contained more than 20% ethanol
- 31.2% at IOCL, 30.5% at HPCL
- IOCL, HPCL, BPCL, Nayara, Shell – whether government-owned or private – all exceeded the limit
- And the companies’ own labs didn’t even report the ethanol content
“In other words, you’re paying for expensive petrol, but ethanol is being pumped into your tank. Who loses out? You,” he asked.
“Your car wasn’t built to handle that much ethanol – meaning lower mileage, repeated trips to the mechanic. The car you bought with such enthusiasm is being ruined. And there’s not even a label at the pump telling you what’s being put in your tank – no choice at all,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Questioning the Prime Minister, Rahul said, :Modi ji, tell us – what’s being put in the country’s tank? How much ethanol is actually in the petrol? When will action be taken against companies mixing more than 20% ethanol?”
The LoP also reminded the Prime Minister on his ‘foreign trips’ debate challenge, saying, “And the debate challenge still stands. We’ll add this issue too – who is actually benefiting from your policies?”
Oil Companies Refute Karnataka Govt’s Claim
Public sector OMCs have rejected Karnataka’s claim that petrol sold at some retail outlets in the state contained up to 31 per cent ethanol, saying the findings were not based on testing carried out under the prescribed procedures.
In a joint statement, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) said they had taken note of a release by the state’s Department of Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology claiming that petrol at certain retail outlets contained between 26 per cent and 31 per cent ethanol.
“The OMCs would like to clarify that the claims, as reported, are not supported by testing conducted in accordance with the prescribed statutory and technical procedures,” the statement said.
The companies said E20 petrol supplied by them across the country, including Karnataka, conformed to IS 17021, the Bureau of Indian Standards specification for ethanol-blended motor gasoline.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply