NEW DELHI, November 7 (Aalimi Nation) – Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Centre and oil companies of selling petrol with more ethanol than permitted, saying "E20 turned into 420", and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to disclose how much ethanol is actually in the fuel sold nationwide. The three public-sector oil marketing companies have rejected the Karnataka government test results on which his charge rests.
What Rahul Gandhi said
In a Hindi post on X, Gandhi used the number of the old Indian Penal Code section on cheating to criticise the E20 rollout, which blends up to 20 per cent ethanol into petrol. He described the situation as "stealing petrol from the public's cars".
He said that 11 of 14 petrol samples tested at an accredited laboratory in Karnataka had more than 20 per cent ethanol, with the highest readings at 31.2 per cent for Indian Oil Corporation and 30.5 per cent for Hindustan Petroleum. He named Indian Oil, HPCL, BPCL, Nayara and Shell, and said the companies' own laboratories "didn't even report the ethanol content".
"You're paying for expensive petrol, but ethanol is being pumped into your tank," he said, asking Modi what is being put into the country's tank and when action will be taken against companies exceeding the limit. He also criticised the absence of ethanol-content labels at fuel stations and warned that excess ethanol could reduce mileage and raise maintenance costs. He renewed his call for an open debate with the Prime Minister.
Karnataka's findings
A day earlier, the Karnataka government alleged that major oil marketing companies were supplying petrol above the prescribed 20 per cent limit. State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad said samples from seven districts were tested, and the state sought action against the companies. The state also called for greater transparency in disclosing ethanol levels at fuel stations. Reports of the allegation say the state's samples were tested at an accredited laboratory in Bengaluru, and give differing figures for the number of samples collected.
Oil companies' response
Indian Oil, BPCL and HPCL issued a joint statement saying the E20 petrol supplied across the country, including Karnataka, meets the Bureau of Indian Standards specification IS 17021, which allows ethanol content between 19 and 21 per cent. They said their representatives were not involved in collecting the samples and that the tests did not follow prescribed statutory and technical procedures. They added that the third-party certificates did not carry enough detail on methodology to be verified.
The companies said 893 samples tested across 27 states and Union Territories were within the 19–21 per cent range, and that in Karnataka 56 samples tested between 19 and 20 per cent, averaging 19.30 per cent. The Petroleum Ministry has also said E20 petrol meets the prescribed quality standard.
Background
India's ethanol blending programme began as a pilot in 2001 and aims to cut crude oil imports, support farmers and improve energy security. Citing Petroleum Ministry data, the oil companies say the programme has saved more than Rs 1.97 lakh crore in foreign exchange since 2014-15 and paid over Rs 1.66 lakh crore to farmers.
No independent verification of the competing test results has been reported, and no response from the Union government or the BJP to Gandhi's post was available at the time of writing. The dispute over sampling and testing methods remains unresolved.
