The Opposition on Thursday mounted a sharp attack on the Centre after Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari acknowledged that higher ethanol blending in petrol could marginally reduce vehicle mileage. The remarks, seen as the government’s U-turn from its stance that E20 petrol would not significantly impact vehicle performance, triggered a fresh political row, with opposition parties accusing the BJP-led central government of misleading consumers and imposing the transition without adequate safeguards.
Reacting to Gadkari’s “mileage dip” remarks, Samajwadi Party national spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari accused the BJP government of deceiving people across sectors.
“BJP and RSS leaders are competing in greed, corruption, and loot. Exam papers, chanda, votes, citizenship, temple offerings, petrol mixing, land, forests, ports and airports—everywhere there is manipulation under the PM Modi government,” Tiwari alleged.
The DMK also questioned the credibility of the government’s position. Party national spokesperson Advocate A Saravanan said Gadkari should first respond to allegations regarding his son’s company allegedly earning windfall profits before commenting on ethanol blending.
“Petrol prices should come down since they are blended with ethanol. An independent study must be conducted on the damaging effects of ethanol-blended petrol. Is Gadkari a qualified expert to conclude whether it affects vehicles or not?” Saravanan asked.
Former Delhi minister and AAP leader Somnath Bharti alleged that the government’s ethanol policy was being pushed despite manufacturers’ warnings. “In the disguise of public good, Nitin Gadkari is all out to secure family good. Manuals of several car and bike manufacturers clearly caution against using fuel blended with more than 10 per cent ethanol. I am shocked that he continues to insist on E20 fuel,” Bharti said.
He further questioned why the Road Transport Minister was taking the lead on ethanol blending, saying consumers should have the option of choosing between E0, E10 and E20 fuels at different price points.
The Congress launched the strongest attack, accusing the Centre of changing its claims on earlier promises of cheaper fuel while forcing consumers to bear the costs of the transition.
Congress national spokesperson Salman Soz recalled Gadkari’s 2018 promise that alternative fuels such as ethanol would reduce diesel prices to Rs 50 per litre and petrol to Rs 55 per litre.
“Indian citizens are entitled to ask: what happened to that promise?” Soz said, noting that fuel prices today remain far above those levels while consumers now face lower fuel efficiency due to higher ethanol blending.
Citing the government’s own ethanol blending roadmap, Soz claimed E20 fuel could reduce fuel efficiency by 6-7 per cent in older four-wheelers designed for unblended petrol or E10 fuel and by 3-4 per cent in similarly placed two-wheelers. He questioned why the compensation measures suggested in the roadmap had never been implemented.
“The benefits of ethanol blending are being advertised while its costs are quietly transferred to ordinary consumers,” he said.
Gadkari’s U-Turn
The latest political exchange comes after Gadkari while speaking in an interview with a newspaper, Gadkari said that while average mileage may dip as ethanol content in fuel increases, the impact would be marginal in most real-world use cases. The statement came amid an ongoing debate over the nationwide rollout of E20 fuel and concerns raised by vehicle owners over performance.
His remarks have reignited the debate over the Centre’s ambitious ethanol blending programme, with the Opposition accusing the government of downplaying the costs of the transition even as it pushes ahead with its E20 fuel target.