Said- Modi ji, tell me – what is being filled in the country's tank?
New Delhi. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the Modi government over the sale of E20 petrol, citing test results of samples collected by the Karnataka government and demanded the Center to clarify the actual amount of ethanol in the fuel being sold across the country. Rahul Gandhi said in a post on 'X', E20 becomes 420 – petrol stolen from public car! He was apparently referring to Section 420 of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code which deals with cheating.
He said that the Modi government says that petrol contains 20 percent ethanol, but when the Karnataka government took samples of petrol from seven districts and got it tested in an accredited laboratory, the amount of ethanol was found to be above the limit.
He said, look at the result. More than 20 percent ethanol in 11 out of 14 samples. 31.2 percent in IOCL, 30.5 percent in HPCL. IOCL, HPCL, Nayara, Shell…be it a government company or a private company – all are above the limit and the companies' own laboratories did not even mention the quantity of ethanol in the report.
He claimed that excess ethanol in the vehicle could affect its driving ability. He also accused petrol pumps of not having any information written about the quantity of ethanol. Gandhi said, Modi ji, tell me – what is being filled in the country's tank? How much ethanol is actually in petrol? When will action be taken against companies doing more than 20 percent adulteration? Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha once again challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate. He said that this issue can also be added to the debate.
Claim of mixing 31.2% ethanol in Karnataka
His comments come a day after the Karnataka government alleged that major oil marketing companies were supplying petrol containing ethanol above the prescribed 20 per cent limit, with tests recording the level as high as 31.2 per cent. The government had demanded action against these companies. Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology Minister Rizwan Arshad said in a press conference that these charges were collected from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru.