New Delhi:
Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala targeted the government in a post on X, flagging what he described as a “policy mismatch” involving E20 petrol and the proposed 15 per cent methanol blend in diesel.
Questioning the Prime Minister and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Surjewala, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said: “Dear Prime Minister/Nitin Gadkari, a lot of false bravado, compromised facts and half-baked truths in the name of factual information have been dished out by the BJP government about the E20 petrol fuel blend.”
He said Gadkari’s interview in a newspaper on Friday, Petroleum Ministry press releases issued between June 23 and July 10, and a series of “sponsored press conferences” had ended up exposing the reality rather than clarifying the government’s position.
“I am placing below the genuine concerns of the people of India and the 360 million, or 36 crore, registered vehicle owners, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers,” he said.
Surjewala said the NITI Aayog’s 2021 roadmap for ethanol blending acknowledged that rubber and plastic components in existing petrol vehicles were not compatible with E20 fuel and would require material compatibility as well as engines tuned for E20.
He added that the roadmap had recommended the rollout of E20 material-compliant vehicles from April 2023 and E20 engine-compliant vehicles from April 2025.
“The first question is: has the Government of India listened to its own NITI Aayog and the 2021 roadmap with regard to material compatibility and E20-compliant engines? If not, why?” he asked.
Surjewala said the widely reported Automotive Research Association of India report, though unpublished, stated that E20 rapidly deteriorated rubber components in fuel systems, including hoses, gaskets, seals and O-rings.
“Gadkari has also conceded this fact,” he said.
“The second question is: why is the Modi government pushing through the E20 fuel blend in petrol without ensuring that each of the 360 million vehicles is materially compliant and engine-compliant for the use of E20 petrol, at the government’s cost and expense?” he asked.
Surjewala also said it was an admitted fact that E20 petrol led to a drop in vehicle mileage and claimed that Gadkari had acknowledged this in his interview.
“Even the Government of India admits to a 5 per cent drop in fuel mileage. In reality, the drop in mileage is over 15 per cent, as reported by actual users,” he said.
He asked why the government was not clearly stating the impact of E20 petrol on fuel efficiency and whether the loss of mileage was even higher in local city-driving conditions.
The Congress leader also said that E20 petrol required flex-engine technology, a point he claimed had been conceded by Gadkari.
“What happens to nearly 360 million, or 36 crore, vehicle owners whose vehicles are not compliant with flex-engine technology?” he asked.
Surjewala further pointed out that, according to Gadkari, ethanol costs Rs 75 per litre, while petrol in Delhi costs Rs 102.12 per litre and exceeds Rs 110 per litre in several states.
“Since E20 petrol consists of 80 per cent petrol and 20 per cent ethanol, why is it not 20 per cent cheaper for the common man? Why is the Modi government mixing ethanol priced at Rs 75 per litre and selling it at Rs 102 per litre?” he asked.
He also said the Union government and Gadkari were now speaking about a 15 per cent methanol-diesel blend, based on the production of 700 tonnes of methanol by Assam Petro Refinery at a cost of Rs 20-22 per litre.
“Is the Modi government going to push through a 15 per cent methanol-diesel fuel blend for all diesel vehicles?” he asked.
Surjewala also said the government was supplying paddy to ethanol plants at a subsidised price of Rs 2,320 per quintal from the Centre’s foodgrain stocks.
“Will the excessive diversion of PDS rice, as well as sugarcane, for the manufacture of ethanol not affect our food security?” he asked.
The Congress leader said 20 per cent ethanol blending had begun in 2025-26, from November 2025 to June 2026, under the National Policy on Biofuels, 2018.
“Why did the Modi government not take all these concerns into account?” he asked, adding that the country and its 36 crore vehicle owners required serious answers, not PIB press releases.
The Indian Youth Congress also staged a protest against the government’s E20 ethanol-blended fuel policy.
Several Youth Congress workers, led by Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress president Akshay Lakra, participated in the protest.
Lakra alleged that ethanol was merely an excuse and that Gadkari’s sole aim was to benefit his son.
He said that when ethanol blending was promoted, the government had claimed that fuel would become cheaper and consumers would benefit. However, ethanol-blended petrol was now being sold at roughly the same price as regular petrol.
“If ethanol blending has reduced costs, why have the benefits not reached consumers?” he asked.
Lakra said millions of people were worried about the impact on vehicle engines, rising maintenance costs and additional expenses, while the government remained focused on benefiting its own people.
He further said that the use of E20 would increase maintenance requirements for millions of vehicle engines, yet the Central government was imposing the policy instead of listening to the public.
“The common man’s vehicle is not a laboratory. The government must stop this experiment immediately,” he said.
The government has faced criticism from motorists over its decision to increase the share of biofuels blended with petrol, with vehicle owners questioning the policy’s viability in a market where a large proportion of vehicles are not designed for E20 fuel.
Many vehicle owners are also demanding the option to choose the fuel used in their vehicles.