Bengaluru: Congress workers staged protests at multiple petrol pumps across Bengaluru on Monday, opposing the alleged excessive blending of ethanol in petrol and demanding that the Centre ensure the supply of unblended fuel to consumers.
Congress workers visited several petrol bunks carrying posters and raised slogans against the BJP-led Union government, alleging that motorists were being cheated through the blending of ethanol beyond the prescribed limits.
Speaking during the protest, Congress leader Manohar said Rahul Gandhi had already raised the issue and urged the Union government to take action. However, the Centre had maintained that ethanol blending in petrol was limited to 20 per cent.
“Our state government got petrol samples tested in reputed laboratories, and the findings revealed that ethanol blending was as high as 32 per cent. The Congress has demanded that ethanol blending in fuel be stopped immediately and normal, unblended petrol be made available to consumers and motorists. The BJP government, which is itself involved in adulterated practices, is betraying consumers by allowing higher percentages of ethanol blending,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, speaking to the media, accused the Congress of diverting public attention from the issue of rising prices by repeatedly raising the ethanol blending controversy.
“The issue of ethanol blending has already been discussed. There is no truth in the allegations, and the Centre has provided explanations. Claims that engines would not function properly because of ethanol blending are also false. There is no need for further discussion on this issue,” he said.
The protests come amid a controversy over the Karnataka government’s claim that petrol sold in the state contains up to 31.2 per cent ethanol. Public sector oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) — have rejected the claim, maintaining that E20 petrol supplied across the country, including Karnataka, complies with the Bureau of Indian Standards’ IS 17021 specification.
The oil companies and the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry have also questioned the testing methodology adopted by the Karnataka government, stating that the findings were not based on the statutory and technical procedures prescribed under the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Control Order, 2005, and the Marketing Discipline Guidelines, 2024.
Responding to the joint statement issued by the oil companies, Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad had criticised their response, describing it as a “cut-copy-paste response”. He had said he would issue a detailed clarification and share the findings with the nation.
(IANS)
