"E20 Turned Into 420": Rahul Gandhi Alleges Excess Ethanol Blending In Karnataka Petrol

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that petrol sold in Karnataka contained ethanol above the mandated 20% limit and said that could hurt consumers through lower mileage, higher upkeep costs and possible vehicle damage. Citing laboratory tests of samples collected from seven districts, he said 11 of 14 petrol samples tested at an accredited lab had ethanol content above the cap.

The Lok Sabha LoP and Congress leader cited samples from Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation that allegedly showed ethanol levels of 31.2% and 30.5% respectively.

The allegation matters because Gandhi linked the reported over-limit blending to consumer costs and a lack of disclosure at petrol pumps. He also accused oil companies of not reporting ethanol content in their own lab results and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain what action would follow.

Gandhi's X Post

Gandhi put the charge bluntly.

In a post on X, he wrote, "E20 turned into 420 - stealing petrol from the public's cars!" He accused government-owned and private oil companies, including IOCL, HPCL, BPCL, Nayara and Shell, of crossing the prescribed limit.

He then laid out the test results in detail. "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," Gandhi said.

Consumer Impact Claims

He tied the issue to motorists.

Gandhi said higher ethanol blending could reduce vehicle mileage and raise maintenance costs. He also claimed that cars not designed to handle such fuel could suffer damage.

He questioned the lack of clear disclosure at retail outlets. Gandhi argued that consumers were not being told the actual ethanol content of the petrol they were buying. "You're paying for expensive petrol, but ethanol is being pumped into your tank. Who loses out? You," he said.

Modi Accountability Challenge

Gandhi then turned to the prime minister.

He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify the actual ethanol content in petrol being supplied across the country. He also asked what action would be taken against companies allegedly mixing more than 20% ethanol.

"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?" he asked.

Debate Challenge Reiterated

He widened the attack.

The Congress leader also repeated his call to debate the government. Gandhi said the ethanol blending issue would be added to the discussion on whose interests the government's policies serve.