NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Modi government of misleading consumers over the ethanol content in petrol, citing test results from Karnataka that allegedly found levels exceeding the prescribed 20 per cent limit in several samples.
He demanded that the Centre disclose the actual ethanol content in fuel being sold across the country and take action against companies found violating the limit.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, “E20 turned into 420 – stealing petrol from the public's cars!” The reference was to Section 420 of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, which dealt with cheating.
Gandhi said the Karnataka government had collected petrol samples from seven districts and sent them for testing at an accredited laboratory. According to the results, 11 of the 14 samples contained more than 20 per cent ethanol, with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) recording levels of 31.2 per cent and 30.5 per cent, respectively.
He claimed that samples from IOCL, HPCL, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Nayara and Shell had all exceeded the prescribed limit. He also alleged that the companies' own laboratories had not disclosed the ethanol content.
Questioning the impact of excessive ethanol blending on consumers, Gandhi said it could affect vehicle performance, reduce mileage and increase maintenance costs. He also asked why fuel stations did not display labels specifying the ethanol content in petrol.
“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 per cent ethanol?” he asked.
Gandhi also reiterated his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate, suggesting that ethanol blending could be included in the discussion.
His remarks came a day after the Karnataka government alleged that major oil marketing companies (OMCs) were supplying petrol with ethanol content above the prescribed 20 per cent limit. The state had sought action against the companies following tests on samples collected from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru.
Addressing a press conference, Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology Minister Rizwan Arshad said the findings were based on tests conducted by the Shriram Research Institute in Bengaluru, an institution accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories and certified under ISO standards.
The three state-run OMCs, IOCL, BPCL and HPCL, have, however, disputed the Karnataka government's findings, questioning the sampling and testing procedures. They maintained that E20 petrol supplied across their retail networks, including in Karnataka, conforms to the Bureau of Indian Standards' IS 17021 specifications, which prescribe an ethanol content of 19-21 per cent.
In a joint statement, the companies said the findings cited by the state government were not supported by tests conducted in accordance with prescribed statutory and technical procedures. They also questioned the third-party laboratory certificates, saying these did not provide sufficient details of the testing methodology to independently verify the reported ethanol levels.
India's ethanol-blending programme, which began as a pilot initiative in 2001, aims to reduce dependence on imported crude oil, strengthen domestic agricultural value chains and improve energy security. It was expanded through successive policy measures, including the National Policy on Biofuels, 2018, and the NITI Aayog roadmap for ethanol blending.
According to Petroleum Ministry data cited by the OMCs, the programme since the 2014-15 ethanol supply year has generated foreign exchange savings of more than Rs 1.97 lakh crore, substituted approximately 316 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by around 952 lakh metric tonnes. It has also resulted in payments of more than Rs 1.66 lakh crore to farmers.
During the 2025-26 ethanol supply year, which ended on October 31, 2026, the three public sector OMCs procured 1,089 crore litres of ethanol and blended 1,134 crore litres against petrol sales of approximately 5,673 crore litres.